Fake A Smile
by AllieFace
Summary: When Sora and Riku were young, they lived in an orphanage. But one day, Riku was adopted, tearing the boys apart. Eleven years later, they meet up again. Will their love for eachother continue as friends or more? RxS
1. Chapter 1

This is an idea I came up with, and if anyone had this idea, I apologize from the bottom of my heart.

But I promise that it came to me, honestly don't know how, but I spent a few days planning it out. Hopefully people will actually like my story xx

DISCLAIMER: I do **NOT** own the characters from Kingdom Hearts (who respectively belong to their creators). I do, however, own my story line and that is all.

X X X X X

**Fake A Smile**

Chapter One

The room, and entire building itself, had an un-escaping empty feeling that chilled any soul that walked into it. There was no sense of warmth or kindness within the walls of the orphanage, located in the poorer area of Destiny Island. It seemed as if nothing could bring love to such an abandoned and run-down place as this—except when two certain boys ran around, their laughter enough to light up any darkness, and to awaken any life within ones heart.

The boy with coffee colored hair ran after his silver haired friend, who ran into the room that they slept in; if you want to call it that. The boys filled the room with laughter as Sora jumped out to tackle his friend, falling on his friend's legs, causing the older boy to fall flat on his face. The two of them burst out with laughter, as Riku sat up, managing to escape the ball of brown hair on the floor.

"Still not strong enough, Sora-kun!" Riku said as he pinned his friend down, and the two of them wrestled, their laughter bringing warmth into the dull, lifeless room.

"Riku!" a voice echoed through the hallway that leads to the room. The sounds of clumsy footsteps were heard in the hall. "Riku, Riku!"

Stopping their play, the two friends sat up and looked at the door, as another brown spiky haired boy ran into the room, stopping just in front of him. "Riku, Riku!"

"Roxas, I'm in front of you, what is it?" Riku stated the obvious.

The spiky haired boy that came into the room bent over, resting his hands on his knees. "You're leaving," he gasped between breaths.

"What?" Riku and Sora said in unison.

Sora walked over to his twin, putting a hand on his shoulder. "What do you mean Roxas-chan?"

The heaved over boy whispered something, loud enough so that only Sora could hear. Sora's eyes widened, as his body froze.

"What's going on?" Riku asked, getting upset that he was the only clueless one. The silver haired boy stepped forward, grabbing his best friend's hand. "Sora-kun, what's—" a gasp escaped his lips before he could finish what he was saying.

Two tear drops escaped Sora's sky blue eyes. He did not move when Riku grabbed his hand, or when more tears escaped his eyes, more falling with each passing second.

Riku just stood there, unable to even breathe. "So…ra?" was all he managed to get out.

But Sora would not budge.

Looking over at Roxas for answers, Riku desperately tried to fight back the tears that were swelling up. He had always followed Sora's emotions—whenever Sora cried, Riku cried.

But this time it was different type of crying, a more broken-hearted, ripped apart cry.

"Riku, you're…you're…" Roxas choked on his words; he just could not say them, not with his brother breaking down with the saddest look on his eyes he had ever seen.

"You've been adopted," Sora completed Roxas's words. "You're leaving…"

X X X X X

Opening his eyes slowly, Riku woke up from a soft, unpleasant sleep.

"Well, it's about time," his father spat at him.

"Sorry," Riku mumbled, lowering his head.

"Just be quiet," his father coldly snapped back at the boy sitting across from him.

Not saying anything, Riku looked out the window of the limousine he was currently in with his parents. It had always been the same thing; act proper even if family is around.

If he can even call them that.

Straightening out his posture, Riku glanced at his so-called father, who was typing away on his laptop, not looking up for a second or even to give his fingers a break. Then, the young male glanced over to the woman sitting next to him—his "mother".

What on earth did he do to deserve such cold hearted parents?

He was so sick of everything; his life was a waste. There is nothing he wants more than to see Sora again.

His best friend, though it had been eleven years; eleven long, lonely years without the cheerful brunette by his side. The blue-eyed boy with the warming smile, and the beautiful laugh that made everyone happy. And now his heart was empty without him.

"Riku, what the hell is wrong with you today?" a bitter voice screamed out at him, cutting Riku away from his thoughts and jerking his head up to the woman who yelled at him. "There's a tear on your left cheek," she said in disgust. He wiped it away, and held his head down low once again. "Men of your status are not allowed to cry so pitifully."

Nodding his head, Riku kept his head bent low. He had to keep his emotions in tact or his parents would go crazy on him.

He just had to rip his emotions to shreds and keep moving on.

X X X X X

"I don't want to leave!"

Clinging to his best friend, Riku tried desperately to not be taken away from the boy he was holding onto—the only person he has ever and will ever trust.

Roxas stood there, crying hysterically as his twin brother and friend held on to one another. He did not know what was more sad; Riku leaving forever or the heart broken look that was plastered on Sora's face.

"Alright, we got the little uh…_darling_… now let's go, Akizumi," a woman with short, curly brown hair spoke rather coldly to the man next to her. "I'm going to be late for tea with the ladies if we don't go now."

The man, or Akizumi as his wife called him, kept nodding as he walked up to the three boys crying on the floor. He looked down upon them with disgust. His eyes glanced over the boy with silver-white hair, and pulled on his shoulder. "We're leaving, so leave your tears behind. If you do not, you will face bigger pains to cry over later tonight."

Riku froze in his spot and looked into Sora's eyes. "Sora," he whispered. "I don't want to leave without you!" his voice was breaking, and tears were begging to come out of his eyes, but he used everything in him to keep them from pouring out.

The other boy just jumped on top of him, hugging him as tight as his arms would allow them, trying his best to not let go.

"That's enough, let's go." Akizumi growled, pulling Riku away and began to drag him through the door.

"No! Sora-kun!" Riku screamed, his legs kicking and his hands trying to reach out for his friend.

"Riku, I'll find you again! I promise! Whatever it takes, I'll be sure that we're together! Promise me you'll look for me too!" Sora cried out as his friend was benig taken away.

"I promise, Sora!" And when he went out that door, Riku's life would never be the same.

X X X X X

Alright, so this chapter was so much longer than I was expecting it to be but I hope people actually like it++

So …if you read this PLEASE review.  
I want to know if it's any good.

-- Allie


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you so much for all the reviews. They've inspired me to write the second chapter IMMEDIATELY!

So, since I suck at the reply thing on fanfiction, I will be giving all my thanks here )

**Ashleemarie**- thanks Ashlee for always reading my work! You truly are an amazing friend.

**Hermaphrodite**- yes, here is the second chapter. &Roxas will show up a lot. Kinda. I hope. Haha. Well, thanks for the adorable review!

**Madame Night**- I'll be sure to keep this story up, thank you very much! ) And I promise that it doesn't say sad forever.

**Meghan**- haha yeah. Riku's parents are kind of unpredictable like that. But without them like that, I don't think the story would turn out the way I plan it to be.

**December Jewel**- Here's the continuation. Thanks for the review!

**Atheist**- It's alright, I really can't thank you enough for your honesty. It's the best think I can ask for. So thank you very very much!

**Jessica**- Thank you very much! I hope you enjoy this chapter too )

**Crazy Hyper Active Kitsune**- Here is the update, and hopefully you liked it though it was sad.

**Tysonkaiexperement**- Awww poor Riku Dx but oh well. And Riku and Sora will see how sexy BOTH of them are. Can we work with that? OH and thanks much for the review! It made me giggle )

**Riku-stalker**- first thing; I LOVE your name. And thank you for the cookie and the adorable review!

**Kuroi Kitty**- So here it is, thank you for the review!

**hkph- **To answer your question, no, he didn't. And thanks for the comment:D

**Infinity Ryen**- Much thanks and here you go!

**KitsuneSam**- I'm glad you liked my story ) Well, here's more, and I'll try to update as much as I can!

**dead edged blade**- Here's another chapter & please keep your sanity x.x I wouldn't want you to lose that. But thanks for the review! )

**Moonyasha**- Here it is & thanks much!

So, here's chapter two!

X X X X X

**Fake A Smile**

Chapter Two

"Wake up already!" a desperate Roxas whined as he kept shaking the sleeping form on the bed. "We'll be late if you don't wake up now!"

The young male on the bed latched his arms around Roxas's waist and mumbled incoherently. "Yummy, yummy in my tummy!" he finally sang out in his sleep.

"Uhh…" Roxas stared at his brother, rather confused. "Sora, wake up…_please_!"

"But I want the chocolate!"

"W…what?"

"Chocolate! Yummy, yummy!"

Completely speechless, Roxas just stared at his brother through his azure eyes. It seemed to be the same routine every morning; Roxas was in charge of getting his delusional brother out of bed. This was a rather impossible task, even though Roxas has been doing it for nearly his entire life.

And it was then that Sora began to bite down on Roxas's hips. Roxas screamed, rather loudly, in pain, throwing his brother across the room to land harshly against the wall on the other side.

"Hmm…." Sora moaned as he landed against the wall, his eyes opening. "Roxas, why are you jumping around?"

"You bit me, Sora!"

Sora just sat there, his stare on his brother who was checking underneath his shirt to see the bite mark Sora had left. "Sorry, Roxas," Sora mumbled as he pushed himself off the ground and walked over to his brother.

"It's alright, no worries."

Nodding, Sora reached his arms high into the air and stood on his tipsy toes, giving his body a good stretch. He yawned after his stretch, and peered over at the clock, noticing how late it was. "I need to take a shower!" he rushed out as he ran out of his room and into the hallway to the bathroom he shared on with Roxas.

Instead of running into the bathroom, he ran into his mother, which caused both of them to fall over. Sora reached out and grabbed her, able to save her from falling, but failed to save himself.

"Sorry, mom!" he blurted out from the floor, looking up with apologetic eyes.

Smiling gently, she kneeled down in front of him and just ran her fingers through his mess of hair. "No need to apologize. But are you alright?"

Sora nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes, just as long as you are okay 'kaa-san."

She laughed, and it comforted Sora with how warm her laugh was was. It had been nearly ten years since Roxas and he had been adopted by the lady standing in front of him, or 'kaa-san as he called her. She was the warmest woman Sora had ever met, and thanked anyone who was listening for such a loving woman.

However, nothing could replace the warmth he once felt in his heart.

"Do not fret about me my little one," she interrupted his thoughts. "Now go get ready before you are late for school." It was then that she stood up and walked towards the stairs. "Oh, and breakfast will be in ten minutes." She gave another smile before disappearing down the stairs.

X X X X X

"Bye, 'kaa-san!" Roxas and Sora yelled as they closed the door behind them. They walked across the freshly-cut grass and stepped onto the pavement that ran along it. The two boys cut to the left, passing three houses until they came to the corner, where a red haired girl stood, waiting patiently for them.

"Hey, guys!" she yelled out to them, waving. "Can you believe it's the last day of school?"

Roxas stopped and began to converse with her, as Sora just stood there, listening to their conversation.

"So what do you think of it, Sora?"

"Huh? What?"

Kairi giggled. "Silly Sora. I asked what you thought about hanging at the beach today after school."

"Alright, sounds amazing!" He flashed a smile, as cheery as he could. And his twin's heart broke down for the millionth time that week it seemed. He had lost the count of how many times he had seen the smile his brother would fake.

And it was killing him more every time he wore it.

X X X X X

"How much longer?" the man groaned, rather impatiently. Riku peered at his father. 'And he calls _me_ immature?' he thought to himself.

"It's jut around the block, sire," the drive responded.

"Good. My laptop just ran out of juice. This better be a fast few minutes."

"Hypocrites," Riku muttered under his breath.

"What was that, Riku?" his mother asked between clenched teeth. The silver-haired boy just stared at her with his aquamarine eyes.

"I'm just thinking of my summer assignment. The main character is a hypocrite."

"And what books is this?" Akizumi suspiciously questioned the young male.

"Catcher in the Rye," Riku responded, speaking with no flaw.

"Didn't you read that _last_ summer?"

"I read it for fun last year, but this year I have to read it for school." And that was the truth, well some-what. With being in all honors classes, Riku had several books to read over the summer, including all the books he had read the previous years.

Akizumi just turned his head the other way, acting as if Riku was not worth his time to even glance at.

"You better feel lucky, Riku. We treat you better than you deserve."

That was the last words spoken in the car, before they turned around a corner and pulled into a driveway, where the driver turned the engine off and ran around the limousine to open the doors for the passengers.

X X X X X

"AAH!" Sora screamed as he ran in circles, shaking his legs with every step.

"You can't escape my sand snowball, Sora!" Tidus laughed, watching Sora clumsily run around.

Roxas began to run after his brother, trying desperately to keep up with him. Sora seemed to be very fast when sand was squirming its way in and out of his bottom.

"Get it out, get it out!" Sora cried desperately.

"Get in the water, man!" Wakka screamed out to Sora.

"Don't spoil my fun, Wakka!" Tidus whined.

"But look at the boy, his bottom must be _bleeding_ by now!"

A few moments later, Sora was done washing himself, and sat up, rubbing his bottom over his pants. He whined from the soreness, but tried to shake it off. "I'll get you next time, Tidus!" Sora pouted his lower lip in a small frown.

"Whatever you say, Sora. You _know_ you can't beat _me_!" Tidus claimed, a huge grin on his face.

"Oh, no! It's almost six o'clock! I have to go to dinner, sorry guys!" Kairi yelled as she picked her bag off the ground and dusted the sand off. "Let's go Naminé!" The red head yelled out to her younger sister, who packed up stood up to join her sister.

"See you guys later!" Kairi called back to her friends, waving, as Naminé just simply waved and smiled gently.

"We should get going too, Sora," Roxas spoke to his twin who was still rubbing his behind. "Yeah," Sora responded. "I guess we should."

X X X X X

Riku stepped out of the limousine last, his parents waiting for the driver to open the door. The silver haired boy sighed to himself, sick of how spoiled his parents made themselves.

"Aah!" a scream was heard, and Riku turned his head to where it came from, about three houses down. He noticed to similar looking boys running across the street. One had tripped on the curb it seemed, hence where the scream was from.

"Sora! Are you okay?" the other boy screamed out, very concerned for the boy that had fallen over.

The name relapsed continuously in Riku's head. "Did he say…Sora?" he whispered.

He studied the one on the floor, who rubbed the back of the head and smiled up at the other boy, who was looking at his arm where he fell.

"Is that you…Sora-kun?"

X X X X X

Alright, finally got this chapter finished! Sorry for the wait I've been insanely busy with homework but THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR THE COMMENTS!

They really motivated me to keep writing. I'm really busy with school and everything but I promise to work on my stories at least a little bit each and every day no matter how many tests or how many hours of homework I have!

Just please keep reading and reviewing and I PROMISE to have a new chapter at least every few days or so.

THANK YOU AGAIN AND I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER!

OH and if you review PLEASE BE HONEST! Cause only honesty can help.

THANKS AGAIN EVERYONE! MUCH LOVE! )

-- Allie


	3. Chapter 3

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED!

**atheist**- Thank you again for your honesty; it really does help: ) sorry for the cliff-hanger, but I hope this chapter makes up for it!

**Riku-stalker**- Yeah. I'm a stalker of Riku too! xD I'm pretty obsessive about him. And my friends almost kill me for it but oh well! Yeah, I feel bad for Riku in the story, but it gets better, but yeah. I don't want to give it away but I promise a good ending! With lots of smiles from Riku!

**StormDarkblade**- Well, here's chapter three. I'll try to not make a cliff hanger this time but if I do its only cause that's how the story came out Dx But I'm glad you like it!

**Moonyasha**- Hahahaha! XD This made me giggle. I hope you're okay though Moonyasha and thanks for the memo Seph.

**dead edged blade**- LOL yeah. Sand snowball. I don't know where it popped out of my head but yeah. Glad it made you laugh!

**RikuxSora55**- Oooh the cake looks good but I'm not a cake person sorry! But I'll give it to Sora and Riku. That gives me… an idea… :D You will definitely be brought up again in later chapters. I hope you keep reading!

**Tysonkaiexperiment**- You leave hilarious comments. They really just kill me! XD I hope this update was better than last!

**Meghan**- Awww that's okay. It makes me happy to hear that like no joke! It's one of those things that people tell you that make your day better : )

**Kuroi Kitty**- Here it is, I hope you enjoy! And thanks for the review!

**TOKYOPOPer**- Mmk here's an update. I hope you like it!

**Crazy Hyper Active Kitsune**- I hope you think the same for all the other chapters!

**The-Phantom-of-the-Music**- Sorry for the cliff hanger! And don't cry: ( But thanks for the review

**chocolate lover**- XD! Thanks BUNCHES and I hope you like this chapter too!

**hkph**- Yes. Riku and Sora are together again: ) Thank you for reading & reviewing!

THANK YOU AGAIN EVERYONE!

I tried to get this chapter out ASAP!

I've been like dead busy with homework and studying.

Hopefully you will all like it!

OH—I realized I forgot the disclaimer last chapter. Whoops.

So I'm gonna make this one count for the rest of the story!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters from Kingdom Hearts throughout this story. The only thing that I own is my story line.

X X X X X

**Fake A Smile**

**Chapter Three**

"Is that you…Sora-kun?" Riku spoke out loud to himself.

"Riku, what are you doing. Come inside, already," his mother snapped at him.

"Can I go talk to those boys over there?" Riku asked hesitantly, praying that his mother would say yes.

"Fine. If it gets you out of my life momentarily," she coldly spoke to him. "Just get the keys from the driver and be home when you are done wasting your life. And be sure to not wake us up when you do decide to come home." With that, she slammed the door, Riku sighing in relief.

"The keys, sir," the driver spoke, giving a smile to Riku and handing him a pair of keys to the house.

"Thanks," Riku grabbed the keys and ran across the lawn and towards the brown haired boys.

'Please be Sora-kun,' Riku spoke over and over in his head. 'Please let this be him, and let this be real!'

X X X X X

"Are you sure you're alright?" Roxas spoke. He looked at his brother's arm up and down. His blue eyes throbbed with concern as he examined the cut on Sora's arm.

"I'm fine, Roxas!" Sora cheerfully spoke. "Really!" he reassured him.

"But…" Roxas softly spoke, kneeling down next to his twin. "You're bleeding, Sora…"

"It's nothing really. I'll survive!"

It was then that Sora heard the oncoming footsteps and glanced over to his left to where he heard them coming. The first thing he noticed was the silver hair that swayed back and forth with each step the person took.

And with that glimpse of silver hair, one word was breathed from Sora's lips: "Riku?"

The young male that was running towards them slowed down his pace as he got closer and closer. He finally stopped about ten feet away from Sora and Roxas, who just stared up at him. Taking one step, then two steps then three, Riku stood two feet away.

"Sora…kun?" the silver haired boy finally spoke after a few moments of staring at the younger male.

The male stared back into his eyes. "R-Riku?" Tears began to swell up in his eyes.

"It's really you!" Riku exclaimed and collapsed to his knees and hands on the floor, shaking. "I found you, Sora-kun. I finally found you!" He looked up at the male, tears in his eyes at well and a huge smile on his face.

"Riku!" Sora exclaimed before he sat up and tackled his friend with a hug, embracing him with all the strength he had. "I looked everywhere!" He squeezed him closer, and just sighed. He could die right now.

"Oh, Sora-kun," Riku whispered as he held onto the boy latched onto him.

"I did, Riku," Sora sobbed through his tears. "I did every thing to look for you!"

No more words could come from Riku, he was too ecstatic to say anything at this point. The white haired boy just pulled back gently, enough to reach his hand up to his friend's face. Tenderly, he traced his fingers over the tears that fell, and wiped them away.

It was then that Roxas decided to sneak away into the house, giving the friends time to catch up. Reaching into his pocket, Roxas took out his keys and opened the door. As he closed the door behind him, he kept it unlocked for whenever his brother decided to come home.

"Is that you, boys?" a voice called out from the kitchen, all the way on the opposite side of the house.

"It's just me," Roxas spoke back. He walked down the hallway, all the way to the end to the kitchen.

"Where's Sora?" his mother worriedly asked, turning around to face the boy walking in through the doorway. Roxas noticed she was cooking dinner from scratch, as she always did every night. A small smile crept up on his lips before he opened his mouth to speak.

"He's getting his smile back," the young male warmly said. "It won't be fake anymore."

"What about his smile?"

Roxas sat down in a chair at the table, crossing his legs underneath him. "Keep cooking, and I'll explain."

Maiko went back to her cooking, but kept her ear and thoughts open for her son. She stirred the contents in one large pot, and added some soy sauce as well.

"Do you have enough for another person?"

"You know I always make enough food for at least five people, Roxas."

Laughing, Roxas knew that it _was_ true. Even though it was only him, Sora and Maiko, there was always more than enough food for five people at minimum most evenings. "Well, Riku-sama will probably be joining us."

"Riku?" Maiko confusingly asked. "And why use –sama?"

"He was Sora's best friend at the orphanage," the spiky-haired boy started. "And if anything, he deserves the title –sama."

"So this Riku boy is back?"

"I don't know, but he found Sora today, about five minutes before I came home. But now he's back, and Sora's smile won't be fake anymore."

Maiko stopped put her stirring spoon to the side next to her other cooking utensils. "His smile … is _fake_?" she asked, in disbelief.

Roxas nodded, even though his mother was not facing him. "Remember when we first came here? And how he first was, never really moving or eating, just sitting around, almost as if he were _dead_. Do you remember that?"

The woman bent her head low, her silky, short black hair fell over her face as she faded back into a memory.

It was the first day she had adopted the boys, and she was in the front seat, the two of the boys sitting in the back. She kept looking at the boys in the rear-view mirror, and her smile was plastered on her face. She finally had children of her own, even if it was not by blood, but by heart she would always be connected to them.

"So do you two have any favorite foods?" she asked, trying to start conversation with her two new sons. She slowed down at a red light and looked at them through the rear-view mirror.

"Noodles," one spoke up.

"Roxas, you like noodles?" she questioned, her smile still on her face.

"Yeah! All kinds of noodles! Especially the pink ramen!"

"Pink?"

"You know, the pink bag ramen!"

"I see," she sighed to herself. Did they ever eat a well, home cooked meal? "And what's your favorite food, Sora?"

The other boy kept his head slightly bent downwards, moving it up ever so slightly to look up. He did not respond to her question, but just sat there, quiet and still, staring at her through his blue eyes drowned in sadness.

"Sora likes ice cream!" Roxas jumped in. "A lot! He loves it!"

Maiko laughed at how cute Roxas's reaction was. "Well, I'll need him to tell me what flavor he wants when we go out for ice cream after dinner tonight." The light turned red, and Maiko pushed her foot on the gas.

Her memory then flashed to a month later, when she was doing laundry, early one Sunday morning. It was just before seven in the morning, another night she was unable to get more than a couple hours of sleep. Then, she heard the sound of ice shuffling around, and then the clinging of it falling onto the floor.

Stepping out of the laundry room, Maiko looked into the kitchen, where a small figure was squatted down on the floor, picking up pieces of a shattered ice cube. She smiled warmly and walked up to the boy. "Why are you up so early, Sora?"

The boy on the floor looked up to her soft, hazel eyes with his blue ones. "I'm not tired."

"Really? But I saw you wide awake just three hours ago."

Sora lowered his head, and finished picking up the pieces. He walked over to the sink and put them down the drain. He walked back to the refrigerator, opening the door to the freezer to take out two ice cubes.

"Sora, you have to sleep," Maiko worriedly said as she bent down to his eye level. "It's not healthy for you."

The brown haired boy put one of the ice cubes in his mouth and sucked on it. "Soh-wie," he mumbled as he sucked on the ice cube. "Buh I'm noh sleepeh."

"Well, let's try to sleep for a little bit, okay?" she said as she ran her fingers through his hair. She stood up and held her hand to his, where he hesitated for a moment, but eventually grabbed out and held onto it, keeping his face hidden from her view.

She led him to the couch, where she half laid down half sat up, and pulled the young boy next to her. "Now close your eyes, and try to sleep," she whispered softly into his ear. Quietly, she hummed, and stroked her fingers in between his untamed spikes, watching the boy get the most sleep he got for the first month there.

Her memory flashed to a week before that early Sunday morning, where she took the two boys to the playground on the beach. Roxas was making friends with some of the other kids, taking Sora to everywhere he went.

But as Maiko watched the young boys play, she realized how lonely Sora looked, and how it was his brother who had to take him to the other slides or the monkey bars. And it was Roxas who would go down and make Sora followed him around and try to get Sora to play with the others instead of sit on the side and be by himself.

"—kaa-san!"

"Huh? What?"

"The soup is boiling and overflowing!" Roxas spoke loudly, almost in a panic.

"Oh!" Maiko lowered the flame immediately, and stirred the soup, sighing in relief that the soup was alright. "Thank you, Roxas."

"Yeah. What had you so spaced out?"

"What you said," she began, taking a moment to check on the other pots. "I never really thought of it. He really did not smile a lot the first year he was here. You, on the other hand, always had a radiant smile on your face."

"I guess," Roxas sighed. "But Sora's is much more radiant when it's real."

"I hope I can see. I wish I could have helped him over the years."

"You have, wow 'kaa-san."

Maiko laughed gently, turning to face him. "I hope that is true. You two have brought such joy to my life; I can only pray that I brought and continue to bring hope, happiness, and life to yours."

Roxas was almost speechless at this, it _was_ true after all. Their mother was always watching over them, making sure they were always happy and giving them everything to help their lives. "Thank you," he whispered.

"What was that Roxas?"

"Thank you," he spoke louder. "For everything, your kindness, especially. It helped Sora so much, to have someone to just hold his hand and guide him. Even though we're not blood related, I'm sure that Sora can agree with me that you are our mother and are the best mother that could have ever adopted us."

At a loss of words, Maiko just covered her mouth with her hands and tears began to drown out her eyes. "Roxas," she spoke gently.

"I mean it!" he exclaimed. "You have to meet Riku-sama! I know you would love him!"

"Then let's go bring those boys in for dinner," Maiko said as she turned the stove off and smiled gently.

'Thank you, Riku,' Maiko thought to herself. 'I don't know you yet, but if what Roxas said is true, then you definitely are worth of the title –sama.'

X X X X X

Alright. I tried to make it as long as I could.

Sorry for the delay, I've been CRAMMED with work! X.x ;;  
Homework has been insane on me & just blah.

But I promise to work on the next chapter as soon as I can and I apologize for everything. I hope you all liked this chapter though. Thanks for reading and PLEASE keep reviewing!

Thanks again!

-- Allie


	4. Chapter 4

Alright, chapter four! I really wanted to work on it earlier in the week, but I didn't get around to it. So I came home today and worked on it immediately.

As of right now, I seriously have no idea where this story will be going. I have about three ways the plot can go, but I think I'm just gonna let it go with however it comes out.

BUT! On a happier note; THANK YOU FOR ALL THE REVIEWS!

I'm not going to reply to them all anymore, but I will thank EVERYONE personally! Your reviews are so amazingly nice and just make me want to write every second of the day, but this thing called school drags me down. And grades…Erm. Staying on topic.

TONS AND TONS AND TONS OF THANKS TO:

**StormDarkblade**

**dead edged blade**

**angelgrl221**

**hkph**

**Riku-stalker**

**Live.Breath.Love.Yaoi**

**Moonlight Wynn**

**TOKYOPOPer**

**RikuxSora55**

**Audunke**

**Arika-of-the-Demons**

**anorexic morals**

Thanks again to everyone! I hope you all enjoy this next chapter!

X X X X X

**Fake A Smile**

Chapter Four

The young male nodded, highly intrigued in what his friend was saying. Everything about his life in the past eleven years that he had missed out on, such as his friends at school, and school life and living by the beach and everything that he did for fun.

"It's always busy with friends here!" Sora cheerfully stated. "You rarely have any free time if you have friends."

A laugh escaped from Riku, and he just smiled at Sora, who wanted to smile but held it back, mesmerized by the beautiful laugh that Riku had. It was warm, and just adorable. Almost in a cute adorable, but not exactly.

"So," Riku began. "How are your adoptive parents, Sora?"

"My mother is amazing!"

"Really, now? And how about your father?"

Sora fell silent for a few seconds before responding. "We never had one. 'Kaa-san never talked about a man in her life. I don't think she ever even had a boyfriend since she has had us."

"I see," Riku sighed. "But does she treat you well?" His voice was full of concern, and this question had always ripped up his heart for a painful eleven years. If his Sora was in pain, he would not be able to handle it. He could take the abuse himself, but if it were Sora, he'd lose control.

"Yeah!" Sora nodded vigorously. "She's amazingly nice to us, and always cooks dinner from scratch every night. She always comes home early just so we can eat dinner together, and it has always been like that. I don't remember any days that she wasn't there for us, now that I think about it…"

The male continued to talk about how wonderful his mother was, and Riku just sort of relaxed—his Sora had been safe and happy.

"What about you?"

"…My parents?" Riku stared into the boy's blue eyes.

"Yeah. How are they? Or he, or she?"

'Shit,' Riku thought to himself. 'I can't hurt him now. Should I just lie? Or would that hurt him later? What can I do to make him not worry about me? But, either way I would end up hurting him, and now I'm actually close to him so… I can't say anything negative. Yet, lying would hurt him later on and he might not trust me again…'

"Ri-kun, are you okay?" Sora was now leaning on the grass, his weight on his arms as his face was right in front of Riku's. His sky-blue eyes searched in his sea green ones, looking for anything that Riku would not speak out loud.

But again, Riku could not answer. Sora's eyes held the love he had been longing for, and the way he was positioned could have killed him, but that was not the point.

"Yeah," the silver-hared boy finally blurted out. "I'm fine."

"Your parents," Sora spoke softly, now moving over to sit two inches away from Riku, "they're good to you, right, Ri-kun?"

"Yeah," Riku lied as best as he could through his teeth. "Sorry for spacing out on you."

"It's all good."

A smile grew on Riku's face, but then slowly faded as he noticed it again—Sora did not smile since he saw him. Where was the smile that has kept Riku so strong through the punishment he went through for eleven years, with the memory of Sora's smile being the only thing for him to hold on to for the future.

"Sora, wh—"

"Sora!" a voice from the front door called out, interrupting Riku. The brown-haired boy jumped up slightly and turned his neck around to face his mother.

"Yeah 'kaa-san?" Sora called back.

"Dinner is ready!" she closed the door behind her and smiled at the two boys. "And Riku, will you please join us tonight?"

"I won't be a bother, will I?"

"Of course not!" Maiko laughed, smiling even more at the boy. "It will be our pleasure," she grabbed the door's handle and opened the door, walking back inside the house. She left the door open but the screen door closed, the warmth of the house waiting for the boys to join.

"Well, 'kaa-san is an amazing cook." Sora looked back to Riku. "Please come eat with us!"

"If you insist, Sora-kun," and with that Riku stood up and outstretched his hand to Sora, who paused for a moment before grabbing it and was pulled up. It was then that Riku noticed the blood on Sora's arm. "Sora, you're… you're arm!"

At this, Sora remembered his little fall before Riku ran over to him. "It's nothing," the younger male covered it with his left hand, looking the other way as well.

The older boy's eyes grew with sadness. "It would not be nothing if it were not bleeding." Gently, he caressed Sora's hand and pulled it away to look at the blood. Looking it over, he noticed it was deeper then it appeared to be, and a purple bruise was forming around it. Now that he leaned in closer to get a better view, for the third time, he saw the arm being to swell.

"Ri-kun, I'm fine, seriously!"

Sighing, Riku ran his fingers through his soft hair and rolled his eyes. "Just as stubborn as ever, aren't you Sora-kun?" And he laughed, gently, but worriedly, and that laugh just warmed Sora up with the only warmth that kept his heart beating.

"Anyway," Riku began, moving his hands into his pockets. "Let's go clean you up before dinner." He began to walk to the front door, and Sora followed. About three steps before the front stairs, Riku stopped, and Sora, being clumsy, walked right into him. The younger male frantically apologized, but Riku turned around to just apologize as well. The two got in a small apology fight.

"Sora," Riku growled in a loving but upset voice. He ruffled his fingers through his friend's hair, laughing softly. "You have no need to apologize to me. Whatever it is, I will always forgive you my Sora-kun."

And he walked into the house, but then stopped at the door way to have Sora show him the bathroom, never have been in the house.

The two took off there shoes and put it to the side, and closed the door behind them. Riku followed Sora down the hallway and into the kitchen, where Roxas and Maiko were conversing, and a smile on both of their faces.

"We're just going to clean up, 'kaa-san," Sora told his mom as he took a left as he stepped into the kitchen, walking up the stairs.

Riku followed Sora close behind, looking around at the house. He felt how warm and cozy it was, exactly something out of the perfect family movie thing. A total chick flick, but this was real. Real love and real warmth.

He could almost _smell_ how much love there was in this house.

Walking up the stairs, he looked at the picture frames that were hung up, noticing pictures of Sora and Roxas as they were growing up, some with their mother and some with friends, it seemed, and some by themselves.

"Please don't look!" Sora mumbled under his breath.

"Why not? They're so adorable," Riku said, really meaning it. He could not help but want to look at more of the two boys and how happy they were in the pictures. But… it seemed as if Roxas was the only one of the twins to be smiling…

"It's embarrassing!" Sora exclaimed as he reached the top of the stairs. At the top, he walked across the hall to the bathroom.

The silver-haired boy took a step in front of his friend, and opened the cabinet, where he figured the peroxide would be which he guessed right. But, he was not successful in finding the cotton balls, and asked Sora for help, which he did after another fight over whether he was fine or not.

"Sorry if it hurts," Riku apologized before hand as he dabbed a cotton ball soaked with peroxide over the gash on his arm.

Sora screamed out in pain slightly, holding a tight grip onto his shirt. "Ow, ow, ow! That hurts Rikuuuu!" he cried as his friend cleaned off the dried blood and the wound. "I'm sorry," Riku apologized again, before wrapping his arm up as gently as he could.

"There," he said as he finished wrapping it, "All better."

"Thank you," Sora let go of his shirt and helped Riku put everything back to their proper spot.

"Just have to make sure that you are alright, Sora-kun." Riku flashed his beautiful smile again, and Sora wanted so much to do the same, but had lost the ability to… why did he have to be so _dead_?

X X X X X

"So, Riku," Maiko began as she served Miso soup to everyone. "Are you here on vacation?"

"We just bought a house here, actually."

"I see," she filled Riku's bowl.

"Thank you uhh…" he tried to think of her name, and then realized that he never got her first name or last name. He leaned over to Sora, and asked what his last name was, which Sora replied with his last name being Murakimi. "Miss Murakimi," Riku finished.

"Oh, please!" she laughed. "Call me Maiko, dear!"

"Uh, alright, thank you, Maiko."

"What lovely manners you have!"

"Thank you, Miss, uh, no, Maiko."

"Almost got it!" she sat down and smiled at the three boys. "Please, eat!" She grabbed for her chopsticks and began to eat her meal.

Riku took a bite of the beef, chewing it slowly, and then faster. He swallowed, and took another bite. Then swallowed again, and took another, and in almost ten seconds the whole slice of meat was gone. "This beef is delicious!"

"Thank you, Riku!" Maiko always felt extremely good when someone liked their cooking, especially children, or teenagers in this case. But, what mother _doesn't_ like it when children eat? "Please, take more," she held out the plate with the slices of beef on it.

"Oh, I will!"

Maiko laughed, and watched as Riku took two more slices, so happy to be eating it. She looked over to Roxas, noticing he was eating his noodles, and very happy to be eating the noodles. Then she looked over to Sora, who was not really eating, but watching Riku, with a strange look in his eyes he has not seen.

"So will you and your parents be living here from now on, Riku?" Maiko tried to strike conversation to find out more about this amazing boy sitting across from her.

"Well, for the summer we all will. But once school starts, they will be going back to Blue Bay Island."

"You'll be living all by yourself…?"

The teen nodded, as to say yes.

"But… why?"

"Several reasons," Riku muttered out before taking another bite of beef in his mouth.

"Well," Maiko sighed. "We are three houses down, so please come to us if you need anything, or if you ever get lonely, please come stay with us for however long you want."

A smile grew on Riku's face again. "Thank you," he warmly said. "It means so much to me."

He could definitely get used to this love that was radiating off of Maiko, as well as the warmth that was in the entire house.

X X X X X

Alright, chapter four. I'm going to start chapter five when I wake up tomorrow, I'm dead-beat tired even though it's only 11-ish.

Please review and chapter five will be posted on Sunday at the MOST.

THANKS AGAIN TO EVERYONE!

And if you have anything else, my email is at the bottom of my profile.

MUCH THANKS!

-- Allie


	5. Chapter 5

Here is chapter five!

I got twelve hours of much-needed sleep last night, and ready to work on this chapter:D

When I woke up, I was so pumped to work on this (yeah, I'm a dork)

Thank you to everyone who reviewed!

**dark edged blade**

**Mistukiame**

**Arika-of-the-Demons**

**hkph**

**Live.Breath.Love.Yaoi**

**StormDarkblade**

**RikuxSora55**

Before I start the story, I think it would be best if I give everyone an idea of what Sora and Roxas's house looks like. While working on this story, I drew out a quick map of it to help me and you as well. Not being able to put a picture on I uploaded in on photobucket.

If you want the link, just send me an email (my email is in my profile at the bottom)

And yes, Sora and Riku are very spoiled with how big their rooms are.

X X X X X

**Fake A Smile**

Chapter Five

Roxas was sitting on the floor, leaning back against the couch, with his brother and Riku sitting on the couch behind him. His mother was sitting on the matching chair that was next to the couch. The four of them were watching one of Roxas's favorite movies, Donnie Darko.

Yet, his twin brother Sora was beyond scared of the movie. Any horror movie, no matter how fake the gory scenes were, or how much the blood looked like anything but blood, he always freaked out over it.

And this is where Riku came in, to protect Sora from the "evil bunny" that had popped up every so often. This lead Sora hiding behind his silver-haired friends shoulder, his eyes shut tightly and his hands cupped over his ears.

"It's okay, Sora-kun," Riku cooed every time the "evil rabbit man" came up. And each time he was only replied with a whimper of fear, with sometimes Sora clenching onto his back.

Close to the end of the movie, Maiko stood up from where she sat and stretched a bit. "Well, I am off to bed."

"Goodnight 'kaa-san!" Sora and Roxas called out to her as she walked to the doorway.

"Please take any food that you want from the kitchen. That goes for you too, Riku, feel free to help yourself to anything that you want in this house."

And with that, she was off across the hall to her bedroom, where she sat on the floor after she closed the door and propped her head on her knees. Maiko tried her best to hold back the tears but they fell from her eyes to find their way down her cheeks and eventually to the floor.

"Why did I never notice how empty he was?" she whispered out loud. "My poor Sora, my poor, poor Sora." She began to sob, biting on her finger to keep herself from making any loud noises.

"Please, Riku," she whispered out loud, again, "Fill his soul with that radiant smile Roxas was talking about."

X X X X X

"This movie never stops being amazing!" Roxas exclaimed as he turned off the DVD player. His brother, on the other hand was a complete wreck for the time being.

"Evil…bunny…scary!" The young male was shaking in fear still; his eyes open wide and his arms around his knees.

"Shhh," Riku whispered into Sora's ear as he hugged him close. "The evil bunny is not here, you're completely safe."

"Y-you p-pr-promise?"

"Yes," Riku nodded. "I promise, Sora-kun."

Sora began to calm down, his shaking coming to a stop. By this point, Roxas turned on the lights and stretched his tired limbs. "You guys want ice cream or something?"

"Ice cream?" Sora looked up at his brother with big puppy eyes.

"Still your favorite, huh, Sora?" To this, Sora nodded vigorously, and Riku could not help but smile.

"Let's go out then," Roxas pushed a few strands of hair out of his eyes. His brother and friend nodded, both rather excited to get ice cream.

The three of them stepped into the hall, with Roxas stopping by Maiko's door, not going in, but just to tell her that they went out.

"There's money in the kitchen," she replied back, taking a while to reply. "Please take whatever you need boys."

Roxas began to walk back to the kitchen before Riku stopped him.

"I'll pay for it, Roxas."

"But—"

"I got it," Riku smiled at him. "It's the least I could do for the dinner Maiko-san gave me."

He put on his shoes and opened the door, leaving no room for arguments over who would pay for the ice cream. Stepping outside, he shivered at the coldness of the air. Even though it was the beginning of summer, the nights were still cold.

Sora noticed his shiver, and opened the closet by the front door, taking out one of his jackets and handed it to Riku. "Here, this should keep you warm Ri-kun," he spoke as he wrapped it around Riku's broad shoulders.

"Thank you," Riku smiled and put his arms though the sleeves. While he put it on, he noticed the tightness of it, how the sleeves clung to him. He wanted to zip it up, but it was too tight on him as it was. Peering over at Sora, he tried to compare the tight jacket to the boy's frame, to see that, indeed, he was correct; Sora was much skinnier than any other person he saw.

Riku decided to say nothing about it, figuring it was just that his body type was very small. "Make sure you take a jacket, too, Sora, so you don't get cold."

"I will," he said as he took out two jackets. The jacket that was black fleece-type material he pulled on over his arms and zipped up, the jacket being a little tight on him. He handed the other jacket to Roxas, who thanked him and threw it on him, before closing the door and locking it with his key.

Sora walked across the front lawn with Riku on his right side and Roxas on his left side. The three boys continued to walk like that along the side. They passed the three houses and then came to the corner, walking past Riku's new house.

"I still can't believe you'll be living all alone there, Ri-kun!" Sora exclaimed, trying to hide all the worry in his voice.

"I'll be fine, Sora-chan, don't worry," he smiled warmly at his friend. "You're three houses away; I can always walk to your house if I need anything at all."

"If you say so…" Sora trailed off.

Riku sighed, and hugged his friend. "I promise, Sora-chan," he talked softly, "I promise I will be fine, always and forever."

Sora believed him, he always has. Riku kept his promise, even when they were little kids that they would find each other. And here they were, hugging like they always did as kids.

But now it was different, there were more feelings involved with Sora's emotions. His feelings for his childhood friend were more intense, and this feeling in his heart sparked every time he looked over at Riku. Just one glance of his sea-green eyes could leave him breathless for centuries.

X X X X X

"There it is!" Sora exclaimed, his voice sounding happy to see the back of the supermarket. He began to run to it, while repeating four words: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.

"Sora, wait up!" Riku called form behind, Roxas following the two.

As Sora ran closer, he heard familiar voices coming from the back of the store.

"Come on; get down from there, Tidus!"

He slowed down his pace and turned into the employee parking lot that was at the back. "Wakka?" he called out.

"Yah?" a familiar voice called out. "Sora!" he called out to his friend. "How are you 'mon!"

"I'm good," Sora replied, walking up to his friend.

Riku followed Sora to find him standing next to a semi-tall guy with red hair wildly thrown up into a Mohawk talking to him. A wave of jealously ran through him as he noticed how the two were rather close to one another. The soft, loving look in the guy's eyes made Riku fill with anger, and with this anger, he gritted down at his teeth.

A tug was then felt at his elbow, which he turned around to glare at the owner, but once he noticed it was Roxas, his anger cooled down a bit.

"That's Wakka," Roxas motioned his head towards the guy Riku was previously glaring at. "He's almost like a big brother to Sora, as well as everyone else."

"Then what is with the look in his eyes?"

Roxas looked over at Wakka to see what Riku was talking about it. Sighing, he let go of Riku's elbow. "Riku, it's just Wakka. He's a nice guy, stubborn as a tree branch, but he means well. He really cares about all of his friends; he's always looking over them. Wakka likes… someone else," Roxas gently put it.

The older male just stood there for a second, taking in what his friend just told him.

"Ri-kun!" Sora called out, "Come over here, I want you to meet my friends!"

"I trust you, Roxas," Riku whispered to his friend before walking over to where Sora stood with his friends.

"I'm glad you guys were here," he heard Sora say as he got closer.

"Yah, 'mon," the red-head, or Wakka as Roxas said, replied. "What a coincidence!"

"Hey," Riku spoke and stood less than a foot next to Sora.

"Oh!" Sora jumped up a bit, blushing at his reaction. "Well, Riku, this is Wakka," he pointed to the red-head, "And this is Tidus," he moved his finger to the blonde-haired boy with a huge grin, who waved at Riku. "And this is Leon," he finished, his finger now pointing to a guy with brown hair reaching slightly pass his shoulders.

"Nice to meet you all," Riku said as he looked at all three of them.

"So you're the famous Riku, yah?" Wakka asked, looking hardly into Riku's eyes.

"Famous?"

"You're the guy that Sora is always talking about, yah?"

"Uhh…" Riku looked over to Sora, whose face grew into a deep shade of red when their eyes met.

"Y-yeah, this is Ri-kun," Sora stuttered out, lowering his face and trying to hide his deep blush.

"Well," Leon spoke for the first time. "You guys want ice-cream or not?"

"Yeah! I'll race you all there!" Tidus enthusiastically shouted, running to the front of the convenience store.

Leon rolled his eyes, and walked behind as Wakka ran after the blonde, with Roxas laughing while walking next to Leon. Riku and Sora were left behind.

"I'm famous, am I, Sora-kun?"

The younger male's blush deepened in color, and bent his head as low as it could. He mumbled some words, which Riku could not understand what so ever.

"What was that?" Riku stepped closer to this friend, now an inch away.

"N-nothing!" Sora blurted out as he ran to the front of the convenience store.

A smile crept over Riku's face. "He's still sweet little Sora."

X X X X X

"Boo," a voice crept up behind the group.

Sora was the only one to scream his head off and fall over onto the floor, which had everyone and the person behind the voice stare at him.

"Sorry, Sora," the voice apologized and kneeled down to where the boy was on the floor. He held his hand out to him, to help him up.

"It's okay Cloud," he grabbed the hand and pulled himself up. "You really scared me, though!"

The two talked for a few seconds, as Riku stepped up to them. Cloud's eyes fell on the male walking towards them. Sora, noticing his friends change in vision, looked behind him.

"Aren't you Mr. Popular," Riku laughed as he took his spot next to Sora again.

Cloud still kept his eyes on the boy with white hair. "And you are?" he asked curiously.

"Riku," he smiled at the boy.

"Hello, Riku," Cloud responded, and smiled.

"And you don't say hello to me, Cloud?"

The male turned to Leon, and smiled warmly, before walking over and hugging him tightly. "Of course, Squall-kun!"

"Don't call me that," Leon spat at him.

"You know you missed me!"

"No, I did not. Now get off," he tried to push him off.

The rest of the group laughed as the two fought a little bit. "So what ice cream do you want Sora-kun?"

"Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough!" his eyes cheered up like a little kid given a new toy at the thought of getting ice cream.

"Alright," Riku ruffled Sora's hair before walking to the back of the freezer and picking out the flavor ice cream Sora wanted. "Roxas, what do you want?"

"Vanilla," he responded.

Riku picked out vanilla and a strawberry flavored ice cream for himself. He looked over towards Leon, Wakka, Cloud, and Tidus. "You guys want anything?"

The four of them walked to the freezer isle, picking out the ice cream they wanted. When they all chose what ice cream they wanted, Riku took it to the front of the store to pay for it all, everyone thanking him over.

Sora just stood there, watching Riku intently. His lips twitched a bit at the ends, trying so hard to smile, to show his appreciation to Riku, but failed.

Wakka could not help but have his heart broken at this, as he watched form the corner of his eye. He knew how hard Sora was trying, and saw all the emotions that were screaming to come out in his eyes.

X X X X X

"Sleepover party at Sora and Roxas's house!" Tidus cheered as he walked out of the door of the convenience store.

"Really?" Cloud asked, looking over at Tidus. "Again?"

"Yeah!" Tidus replied. "Sora's house is the hide away!" He ran up to Wakka and jumped on his back, wrapping his legs around him to the front of the waist.

"Another back-ride, Tidus?" Wakka stumbled a bit before shifting Tidus so neither of them would fall down.

"Go, go, go!" Tidus cheered, hitting Wakka on the head, getting carried away with it.

Wakka laughed and put his arms under Tidus's thighs to get a better grip. "Right, here we go! Hang on!"

"So everyone's sleeping over?" Riku asked Sora.

"Yeah. They always sleep over, even on school nights."

"And your mom's alright with it?"

"Yeah," Sora nodded as well. "She's pretty lenient and always takes in my friends. Leon gets kicked out of his house, and is always over. He almost lives there sometimes."

"Oh," Riku replied, shifting one of the several bags he was carrying to his left hand to even out the weight.

"That must be heavy! Let me help you, Ri-kun!"

"I'm fine," Riku smiled warmly.

"No, let me take one of those!" Sora grabbed for one of the bags, and grabbed it. Unfortunately, he grabbed the one with five one-liter bottles, not expecting the heavy weight of the bag, he fell over.

"Sora-kun!"

Roxas whipped around to see Riku helping Sora up and taking the bag back, a small smile on his face. They were just too cute for words.

X X X X X

Roxas put his key into the keyhole of the door, and walked into the house. Sora followed him in after, then Riku, Cloud, Leon, Wakka and Tidus, who closed and locked the door behind him as quietly as he could. The seven boys took off their shoes and put them to the side, then tip-toed across the long hallway to the other side of the house.

They all managed to climb up the stairs without making much noise. They walked to go to Sora's room, but Sora made them go to Roxas's room.

Everyone sat on the floor, eating their ice cream and talking. Tidus was playing video games with Wakka, who was currently losing.

A short amount of music began to play.

"In you and I, there's a new land, angels in flight," played.

Roxas jumped up from where he was sitting to run over to his desk. He hurriedly opened his drawer to take out his cell phone.

"Never would have thought you would have Passion playing on your phone!" Tidus laughed as he continued to beat Wakka at video games.

Ignoring his friends comment, Roxas looked at the caller ID, and a huge smile grew on his face. "Hey, Axel! What's up?" he happily spoke into the receiver of the phone.

"Hey," a voice spoke back to him.

Roxas spoke to the boy on the other side of his phone for a while. He moved to his bed, which was leaning against the large window facing the front lawn. He leaned against the window slightly, laughing as he talked to his friend.

X X X X X

It was around four in the morning when Sora yawned for the first time all evening. Rubbing his eye, he looked around the room to see who was still awake. About an hour ago, Cloud had put on one of the anime DVDs that he found in Roxas's anime collection.

Sora looked over near the television in the corner, at the corner of Roxas's bed. He sat leaning forward, his arms wrapped around his legs and pulled towards them, paying attention to the television for a moment. Roxas had turned the television so everyone could lie on the floor and watch the DVD. By the television, Wakka and Tidus had fallen asleep next to each other, with Tidus's head lying on Wakka's stomach, which was sprawled across the floor. Cloud was propped against the window on the bed, with Leon curled up next to him, two pillows separating Leon's head and Cloud's lap.

Roxas had fallen asleep with his head on the only free spot on the bed, and his body leaning against its' side. His head was on top of his right arm, and his left hand was lying loosely on the floor. But thought it lay loose on the floor, his hand held tightly onto his cell phone in his hand.

His eyes glanced over to Riku who was lying down next to him. Feeling Sora's glance on top of him, Riku leaned his head backward to look up at his friend. "Tired?"

"No," Sora replied, yawning for the second time that evening.

"Suuure," the older male teased. "Let's get you in bed before you pass out."

"Fine," he admitted defeat.

Riku rolled over onto his stomach and pushed himself up off the ground, holding his hand down towards Sora, who reached for it gently and got pulled up from his friend.

"Thanks," Sora whispered.

As quietly as they could, they walked out of Roxas's room and next door to Sora's bedroom. Closing the door behind him, Sora walked over to his closet, in the right corner of his room, rubbing his eyes again. "What do you want to sleep in?"

Riku thought for a second before answering. He could be friendly and say whatever was easier for Sora, or he could just sleep in the clothes he was wearing. Or he could…

"My boxers will work," he said as his finally answer.

Sora stopped in his tracks, blushing.

The silver-haired teen just slapped himself mentally. 'You idiot, you don't want to scare him away! What if it scares him? Wait, are you having feelings for him? He's your childhood friend… and he's a guy… mom and dad would be angry but... Oh well, fuck them. From here on, if what I feel are more than feelings for a friend, then… Ah, now he's staring at me!'

"If you won't get cold," Sora finally replied. He turned the other way and took his clothes off, keeping only his boxers on. Neatly, he folded his clothes and put them on his chair by his computer.

Riku did the same, but draped his clothes over the back of the chair. As he turned around, he saw Sora already crawled into the bed. He looked around the room, trying to avoid the form in the bed. 'Do I go in the bed with him?' Riku thought.

He looked around looking past the desk in the left corner of the room, to the window, with the walk in closet on the right side (the door facing the desk), with the bed on the right wall, right under the closet.

"Come sleep, Ri-kun," Sora called from the bed. "It's too cold to sleep on the floor."

Nodding, Riku walked over to the bed, where his friend was laying. He pulled over the covers and slid in, to where it was warm from Sora's body heat.

"It's just like old times, isn't it?" Sora spoke in a low voice.

"Yeah."

A few moments passed of complete silence.

"Ri-kun?"

"What is it?"

Sora hesitated before speaking. He leaned himself up with his arm and looked down into Riku's eyes, who had his eyes staring back. "I am so glad to have seen you today," he began. "Ri-kun, I've been so lonely without you, my life just fell apart. But when I saw you running towards me today, I felt like a warmth locked deep inside of me was re-born."

Riku could not speak; he just laid there, staring back into Sora's wavering eyes.

"For eleven years, I didn't know how to live. I mean, I had Roxas and my friends, but they didn't compare to you, Ri-kun. Every day during all these years I thought about you, and now, here you are, in my house, next to me, as if nothing happened in eleven years…" a tear fell from his clear-blue eye. "I want to know everything that happened to you. Because every day I would ask myself so many times what you were doing and where you were. And I always wondered if you were happy, and if you were safe. I wanted to know what your life was like, and I always came to the same question every night."

"Sora," Riku whispered, now sitting up to be at eye-level with the trembling boy in front of him.

"Please don't leave me again, Ri-kun," Sora was crying now, the tears seemed endless. "I know it's been eleven years, and we must have changed, but there is no one else who understands me like you do. Please tell me that even if we wind up hating each other that you will never leave my side."

Sora choked on his tears, and shut his eyes, more tears following the numerous that had fallen onto the bed sheets. "Today, I cried in front of someone for the first time in eleven years," he choked out. "I would spend all my nights in my room, staring out my window, crying, and just wishing you would be here to protect me. Ri-kun… I…" he couldn't finish his words; his tears stole his ability to speak any more words.

"Sora-kun," Riku traced his finger under Sora's left eye, and then his right eye. "I was the same, Sora-kun. Every day, I swear on my life, I wished to be with you."

"R-r-really?"

"Yes," he confirmed.

Riku pulled his friend into a tight embrace. "Sora, I promise, that I will never leave your side. Even if I die trying, I will always be here. I always was, Sora. I hope my prayers reached you Sora, because I sent you thousands, no—millions."

"Riku," Sora whispered, wrapping his arms around him. "Thank you."

"Sora-kun, there is no need to thank me, or to apologize to me. You are always welcomed and always forgiven. And always thought of, every damn single day."

"Ri-kun…" Sora whispered one last time, before closing his eyes.

Gently, Riku leaned back to lie down on the bed, Sora's head lying on his shoulder. He pulled up the blanket to cover Sora so he would stay warm. "Goodnight, Sora-kun," he spoke into his ear before closing his own eyes and drifting off to sleep.

There was nothing else that could give him this warmth than laying here with his precious Sora, and there will never be anything to replace the feeling that pulsed through his body.

This feeling he felt, this burning love he felt for eleven years he spent praying on a boy he had no idea how he grew up or how he was living his life.

But that boy lived his life just like him; praying for a return to the extended arms he wanted, no, _needed_ for so long.

Finally, he could sleep at night at peace, knowing that the most precious person to him was safe, and he was the one keeping him warm and tight in his arms.

X X X X X

So, that's about eleven pages or so in word document (including my comments in the beginning and end) I hope you all liked it. I spent a few hours on the last page or two, trying to get the right things I wanted to say out. Please review, all criticism is appreciated (because honesty is the only thing that will help me!)

Much thanks and happy reading!

Until next time!

--Allie


	6. Chapter 6

Hey, first things first: chapter five was NOT the end. A few people thought it was, but clearing it up…it's NOT!

I plan to make SEVERAL chapters in this story (my goal is twenty minimum… but it all depends on how much I work on it and how far I go…)

ANYWAY!

Thank you to all the reviewers!

They really do help a lot, and give me so much inspiration to write MORE!

So I'm going to try to write faster (now that I'm really getting into the story)

THANK YOU TO:

**dead edged blade**

**StormDarkblade**

**krista**

**hkph**

**SoraKokiri**

**RikuxSora55**

**L4stBr3ath**

**Riku-Stalker**

**xXxchiixXx**

Thank you again, and I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

X X X X X

The seventeen-year-old male turned over in his sleep to find two strong arms wrapped firmly around his legs. Thus, preventing him from turning over to his side, and not being able to turn over, caused him to wake up from his rather peaceful sleep. He opened his eyes and peered down at the cause of why he was not able to roll over. Seeing it was his Tidus, a smile grew on his soft lips, and a feeling of warmth rose in his chest.

But, the next ten minutes turned out to be a rather difficult struggle.

Wakka was now wide awake, and Tidus was in a deep sleep as always. During these ten minutes, the red-head teen struggled to escape Tidus's strong grip on his legs, while trying not to wake up anyone else in the room.

Finally, he managed to break free from the grip, replacing his legs with the pillow he was just previously sleeping on. Looking back at the sleeping form, which was now attached to the pillow, Wakka could not resist what was out in the open.

He gently ran his index and middle finger gently over the sleeping boy's jaw line, and then traced up his chin to his soft lips. As he traced over his lips, a small moan escaped from Tidus's throat, and Wakka instantly withdrew his finger. Sighing inwardly, Wakka leaned his arms back, his head thrown backwards and his eyes closed.

'I better leave before I get any other crazy ideas,' he thought as he pushed himself up off the ground, and then tip-toed to the door. He opened the door, slowly, knowing it creaked, unlike Sora's. Finally, he got out of the room and closed the door.

Taking a step into the hall, and walked to the stairs, then walked down them. As he walked down, he smelled the food that Maiko was cooking. It was usually the same thing when ever he slept over the Murakimi house, even though Tidus woke him up today. Every time, he would wake up, to find Maiko cooking away as she always did.

"Mornin'!" Wakka said as he strolled into the kitchen.

Maiko turned around to face the boy, and smiled gently. "Well, hello Wakka!" she put down the knife she was using and faced him completely. "It's been a while, how are you?"

"All's good," he took a seat at the table. "It's been a week, yah?"

"I think a little bit more," she tilted her head in thought. "Oh well! I'm glad to see people are sleeping over again."

"Sorry to keep intruding all the time."

"Don't worry!" Maiko smiled again. "All of you are always welcomed over, no matter what time it is or what day. You can all come in whenever you want."

Wakka smiled at her. "Thank yah Maiko-chan." He was very friendly with her, not in that sick perverted way, but the mother-son friendship way.

"Of course, dear," she turned around to continue cutting up the vegetables.

"Can I help?" Wakka stood up and walked to her.

"If it's not a bother," Maiko put her knife down again and walked to the refrigerator and took a sticky note. She grabbed a pencil from a drawer and scribbled down a list, then handed it to Wakka. "Can you run to the store and get me that?"

"Sure thing," Wakka took the list and read over the things he had to pick up.

"Here's money," Maiko handed him her wallet. "Please buy anything else that you want or that anyone else might want."

"Thank you, Maiko," Wakka smiled at her. "You're always so kind." With that said, he put the wallet in his back pocket, and walked to the front of the house.

Walking down to the corner of the block, Wakka noticed a middle-aged couple arguing at the house at the corner. As he came closer, he heard what they were shouting at each other.

"That ungrateful brat!" the woman yelled. "He never came home last night!"

"Let him be. He has the keys and his phone."

"It's off!" the woman screamed. "That little shit can't do anything right, can he?"

It was then that the husband noticed Wakka walking down the street, his eyes focusing on and off of him while 'talking' with his wife. "Hey, you," the man called out to Wakka. "Come here for a minute, will you?"

Not knowing what to do, Wakka decided to listen to the man. He walked up the driveway to the couple and looked the man in the eye. "Yah?"

"Did you run into a boy named Riku last night?"

"Riku, 'mon?"

"Yes, Riku. Did you run into him?"

"White-like hair?"

"Yes, that's him," the man sounded rather impatient.

"Yah 'mon. I know him."

"Where is he?"

Wakka was kind of hesitant, should he lie or be honest with the guy?

"Well?" the man was at the end of his wits.

"I think he's with our friends, yah. We all were hanging at the beach last night," he fibbed.

"Alright," the man groaned. "When you see him tell him that his parents went to work and to call us. Can you handle that?"

"Yah," Wakka replied, staring the man in the eye. What a jerk, he thought to himself.

"Good to hear that the youth is not corrupt yet," he mumbled under his breath, but Wakka caught what he said. "Now go along, and don't forget to tell Riku!"

Nodding, Wakka ran down the driveway and around the corner, all the way to the convenience store. Stopping at the entrance, he tried to catch his breath. Was that really Riku's parents? What was with their attitude? Were they like that around him?

Several questions formed in Wakka's head as he walked around the store and putting the items on the list in a basket he held at his hand, grabbing a few other things as well.

Was that why Riku had a sad feeling emitting from his body when we all first met him? Wakka asked himself, over and over. He had to get this figured out, and fast. Something was definitely wrong here.

X X X X X

"Be careful, Cloud," Leon whispered.

"Don't worry, he' won't wake up!" Cloud cheerfully spoke. He continued to draw on Tidus's face, now writing "Wakka's whore!" in kanji on his forehead.

"That's a bit much, Cloud," Roxas tried to hold back his laugh.

"It's true though," Leon squatted down next to Cloud, who was drawing a squiggle on Tidus's left cheek. "The two want each other badly but it's tearing them apart. They just don't know how much the other cares for each other, and it _is_ true, anyway. I mean, he's crazy for him."

Cloud stopped his drawing, and bent his head a little, so his bangs could cover his face slightly. He was trying desperately to hide a soft blush on his face.

Roxas took the hint that the two friends needed time alone, Roxas bent down and dragged Tidus's sleeping body across the room and out the door, slowly but surely.

When the door was closed and Leon and Cloud were left alone in the room, Cloud raised his head to see Leon was still sitting next to him, his eyes staring right into his.

"Squall," Cloud whispered.

"It's _Leon_," he corrected his friend.

"If calling you Leon makes you happy, then fine," the blonde smiled softly.

"So you going to stop hiding your feelings?" Leon was straight to the point, it was now or never.

"If you'll stop your tough act."

"I can't be weak anymore, not in front of you, especially."

Cloud put the cap on the marker and placed it on the floor. He put his hands down on the floor and leaned his head forward, looking Leon directly in his eyes. "Just be yourself, Leon," he whispered, closing in the gap between their faces. "Because that's who I'm so in love with."

A gasp escaped from Leon as Cloud pressed his lips onto him, and then a moan as Cloud licked his tongue over his lips, trying to deepen the kiss. Leon parted his lips and their tongues collided.

Placing one hand on Leon's thigh, Cloud moved in closer, leaning over Leon, who slowly lay down on the ground. The blonde separated their lips and rested his forehead on Leon's. "Leon," he whispered lovingly. "You don't know how much I've missed you."

"Me too," Leon wrapped his arms around Cloud's waist, hugging him to his own body. "I don't think I can handle you going back to college."

"Are you jealous, my little Leon?"

"There are a lot of pretty whores there, Cloud. And with your gorgeous eyes, I'd say none of them could resist you."

A smile formed on Cloud's lips. He kissed the male under him on the forehead. "Leon, there is no one else for me but you. Since the day I met you, I fell for you, and no one else has caught my eye and never will."

Leon could not help but smile back. "Well, now that we're out in the open," he took a deep breath in. "Tidus and Wakka might be crazy for each other, but Cloud, I'm crazy for you."

X X X X X

THUD.

Another stair that Roxas dragged Tidus down.

THUD THUD.

That was numbers six and seven. Only ten more to go, Roxas thought to himself, groaning inwardly.

THUD.

"What are you made of, Tidus?" Roxas questioned, catching his breath. "Boulders?" he sarcastically answered.

Another nine thuds, and Roxas was at the bottom of the stairs, breathing heavily. Tidus sure was dead weight when he was asleep, and the fact that he was mostly muscle did not help Roxas one bit.

Roxas lugged Tidus pass the kitchen, saying good morning to his mother as he passed by, and then continued to struggle to pull him all the way to the TV room. He attempted several times to pick Tidus up and put him on the cough, failing at each attempt. Giving up, he left the blonde laying on the floor.

He walked back to the kitchen, and stood behind Maiko to see what she was cooking. "It smells so good!" he exclaimed.

"It's just a vegetable omelet," Maiko laughed. "Can you go get Sora and all your friends and tell them that breakfast will be ready in half an hour?"

"Sora didn't come down yet?"

"Wasn't he upstairs with you?"

The two stared at each other for a while.

"He must be in his room, then," Maiko broke the silence.

"Maybe."

"Let's go check your room again, then."

"You don't want to," Roxas's eyes shifted toward the exit. "Cloud and Leon are…_talking_."

"Well, I'm sure they didn't get far," Maiko smiled.

"How do you know 'kaa-san?" Roxas tilted his head to the side a bit.

"Morning, Maiko-san," a voice called out from the entrance of the kitchen, answering Roxas's question.

"Good morning, Leon!" Maiko smiled at the boy, and then turned her attention to the blonde standing next to him. "And good morning to you, Cloud. It's been months!" She ran over and hugged him tightly. To Maiko, all of Sora and Roxas's friends were like her own children. In her heart, she adopted them all, and took care of them in whatever it was they needed. She served them meals when they had no food, and gave them shelter when not able to go home, for various reasons.

"It really has been!" Cloud hugged her back, happy to see Maiko, whom he considers her as his second mother.

"Your hair has grown so long!" Maiko ran her fingers through the boy's hair and began to chit-chat with him, catching up with how the last few months of college went for Cloud.

Roxas felt Leon's eyes calling for his attention, and as he looked over, he noticed Leon mouth two words to him: 'thank you'.

And with those words mouthed to Roxas, the teen looked down at Leon's hand, which had two of his fingers entangled with two of Cloud's fingers.

X X X X X

"I'm back!" Wakka called out as he closed the door behind him. He slipped off his shoes and put them against the wall.

"Welcome back!" Maiko replied from the kitchen.

The red-head walked into the kitchen and placed the shopping bags on the counter.

"Here's your wallet," Wakka said as he handed her wallet with the receipt on top of it to her.

"Thank you, Wakka," she smiled warmly, placing the wallet in the drawer.

"Mornin'!" Wakka greeted his three friends who were sitting at the table, cutting up some vegetables.

"Morning," Leon, Cloud, and Roxas replied back.

"Tidus still sleepin'?" Wakka asked his friends while grabbing a knife from the counter, and then sitting down to help cut up the vegetables.

"Yeah," Roxas groaned. "I dragged him to the TV room just twenty minutes ago."

"Why did yah drag 'im all the way down there?" he asked, putting his knife down.

Roxas tried to think of something else to say, other than the fact that Leon and Cloud needed a moment to, well, make out.

"Cloud and I had to talk," Leon said, putting mushrooms into a bowl.

Standing up, Wakka muttered "I'mma go wake him up," before walking out of the room. The three friends sitting at the table looked up at one another, holding back their about-to-burst laugh.

Wakka sure was in for a surprise.

X X X X X

He felt warm, and secure. All his worries were gone from the world, and all he could feel was this warmth that surrounded his body, heart, and soul.

Soft fingers began to stroke his cheek, and then run through his brown hair. The touch of the fingers pulled away, causing the young male to stir in his sleep. Slowly, he opened his blue eyes, to see his best friend lying down next to him, a smile worn on his soft lips.

"Did you sleep well?" Riku asked, speaking gently.

"Yeah," Sora looked up at his friend. "How about you Ri-kun?"

Riku blushed a bit at his name, though he heard it numerous times the day before. Hearing Sora say it while looking at him with his angelic face while laying next to him was completely different. "I slept great," he managed to reply in the middle of his thoughts.

"It's so nice and warm in here!" Sora cuddled up into a ball a bit, closing his eyes.

The older male's blush deepened, just the thought of him warming up Sora's bed made him happy in two ways; that the boy was warm and that he was just too cute to _not_ be happy around him.

"Yeah, it is," Riku raised his arm to rest his head on arm to prop his head up.

"I don't wanna get out of bed!" Sora complained and closed his eyes. "I think I could actually sleep a bit more."

Another smile could not help but be plastered on Riku's face. Boy, Sora really knew how to make him smile. If only…

"Hey, Sora?" Riku asked in a gentle tone of voice.

"Mmmhmmmph?" Sora moaned from his curled up form.

"You—"

"WHAT THE HELL!" a voice screamed from another area on the house. The sudden outburst caused Sora to jump a few inches into the air and Riku to fall off the bed and land on the floor.

"Ow!" Riku rubbed the back of his head where he hit it on the floor. He scrunched up his eyes tightly and inhaled deeply through his teeth.

"Ri-kun!" Sora called out, crawling to the end of the bed. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine," Riku kept on rubbing at the sore spot on his head. He then looked up at the brunette. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Sora looked over at his bedroom door, "But I wonder who that was."

"Let's go check it out," Riku stood up and threw his pants on, where as Sora threw on a pair black gym shorts, and then they both walked out of the room and down the stairs.

Walking down the stairs, they heard two voices yelling out at each other. The two boys followed the voices, finding their ways into the TV room.

"What is it!" a scream was heard.

"What is what?" Sora asked as he walked into the TV room, where he saw everyone gathered.

"This!" Tidus pointed at the kanji on his head.

Sora tried to stifle back his laughter, but Riku just let it out, collapsing on the floor and clinging to the sides.

"I can't read it in the mirror!" Tidus whined. "Someone tell me already what the hell it says!" He turned to everyone in the room, who was laughing but one boy. "Wakka, what does it say?" he looked him in the eye.

Wakka stood there, his face bent a bit low. He lifted his head and looked over at everyone, who stopped laughing. They were all scared at the angry look on his face; none of them had seen Wakka this angry before.

"Let's go clean it off," Wakka grabbed Tidus's wrist, and pulled him out of the TV room to go in the kitchen.

Without any time to say anything, Tidus was dragged away and into the kitchen.

"I can't believe you really did that!" Roxas fell onto the couch, rubbing his side as his laughter calmed down. "That washilarious, Cloud!"

"_Cloud_ did that?" Maiko questioned, looking over at him.

The said boy rubbed at the back of his head. "You caught me!"

"Well, that _was_ funny," Maiko said before leaving the room.

Sora looked over at Riku, who was still on the floor, only sitting now. The blue-eyed boy kneeled down next to his friend, who smiled as Sora sat down.

"Wan't to go to the beach today?"

Riku nodded his head in response.

"Sounds like fun," he spoke after nodding. A soft smile graced his lips, and Sora melted inside.

He then tried to smile back, a real smile, but all that came out was a small twitch at the end of his lips. Slowly but surely, he was getting everything he lost back.

X X X X X

So that's the end of chapter six. I'll try to get another chapter up soon.

Thanks again to everyone who reviewed:D

And if you're reading, PLEASE review.

It'd be greatly appreciated.

Much thanks, and much love.

--Allie


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter seven: D

I am so glad that people are reading and reviewing.

Thank you to EVERYONE!

THANK YOU TO!

**Aikoheartsrs**

**Riku-Stalker**

**dead edged blade**

**starry-nights88**

**NalanaSpinderOfSouls**

**angel-yuripa**

**What Is Wrong With People**

**Arika-of-the-Demons**

**.x.SnowWhiteNeedsLove.x.**

**ManicAngel6**

**StormDarkblade**

**RikuxSora55**

**athiest**

**TOKYOPOPer**

**Sora Kokiri**

**Escagirl**

PLEASE NOTE!

For the summer vacation of the students in this chapter, I'm basing it off the Japanese school vacation, which is usually about 40 days. This is to the extent of my knowledge. I went to Japan over the summer on an exchange program and the Japanese students were telling me how they only had 40 days off, when in America we have an average of 70. So, we are extremely lucky to have an extra **thirty** days!

Anyway, enough of rambling about that. xD

Oh, and I'm making their classes based off of American high school classes, and from my school so…yeah. I'll explain it a little bit later on.

X X X X X

**Fake A Smile**

Chapter Seven

A soft breeze ran across the boy's face, lightly tugging at the ends of his brown locks of hair. He inhaled deeply; the smell of the salty ocean filled his nose, calming his senses. For as long as he remembered, breathing in the salty air had always calmed him, soothing his soul and relaxing his senses. Maybe it was because he grew up for the past eleven years living right across the street from the ocean, or maybe it was just there was no other scent similar to it. But whatever it was, he did not care, for the only thing he cared about was the silver-haired male laying down next to him—his beloved, Riku.

His beloved, Sora shook his head, surprised at what he thought. He could not entirely call him that yet, but he could not deny he was indeed deeply infatuated with the male. Okay, okay, you could say he was _obsessively_ infatuated in his friend.

"Mmmm," a soft moan escaped from Riku's throat, and Sora could not help but look over. He watched as Riku turned from lying on his back to lying on his side, now facing towards Sora. The sleeping male had some of his hair covering half of his angelic-like face.

And Sora could not resist reaching his extremely tanned hand out to gently brush the silver locks off of his friends face and tenderly push it behind his ear, the boy's hand shaking the entire time. The older male let out a sigh from the soft touch of Sora's fingers as he pushed his hair back, causing Sora's hand to jump back at his side.

Riku stirred a bit in his sleep, he was beginning to wake, but wanted to sleep more. Fighting the urge to fall back asleep, Riku opened his eyes slowly, blinking away the rays of sunlight that greeted him from the world of sleep.

"Good morning, Ri-kun," Sora spoke, watching his friend as he began to sit up. He continued to watch as Riku lay on his back, and arched it up, his arms above his head, stretching out his body. The brown-haired male stared as Riku stretched, his eyes on the arch of the older male's back. 'Oh, God,' he thought. 'Why can't I look away?'

Finishing his stretch, Riku averted his eyes to Sora, locking his eyes onto his. "Good morning," he replied, in a voice that sent butterflies racing around in Sora's stomach. "Is it really the last day of summer?" he asked, momentarily bringing a yield to the butterflies dancing in Sora's stomach.

"Yeah," Sora frowned a bit.

"Forty-days went by too fast."

Sora nodded his head in agreement. This summer had been the best he had ever experienced, he thought before speaking again. "But it was a really good summer."

"No," Riku said in a harsh voice. "It wasn't good."

Sora stared at his friend; did Riku hate spending the summer with him? Did he do something wrong to annoy his friend? Was I too clingy?

The older male looked over at Sora, his face empty of emotion. "It was _amazing_," he said and smiled wide at Sora.

A weak laugh escaped from Sora.

"You don't agree with me?" Riku tilted his head to the side.

"No—I mean, Yes—it was an amazing summer!" Sora rubbed at the back of his head. "You just trickled me for a second there! I really thought you hated me or something."

"Sora…" Riku sat up to be at eye level with his friend.

"WATCH OUT!" someone yelled, and as soon as it was said, a ball landed on the sand in between the two boys. As soon as it hit the sand, it bounced back up, hitting Sora in the face, causing the boy to fall backwards.

"Sora!" Riku leaned over the blue-eyed male, the ball bouncing off to somewhere else. "Are you okay?"

"Ri….kun?" Sora looked up at his friend, a dazed look on his face.

"You okay, 'mon?" Wakka ran over to the two boys.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Sora replied. He rubbed his forehead where the ball hit him, wincing as he touched the sore spot.

"Sorry about that," Tidus squatted down next to Sora and Riku. "Want me to get you some Advil or something?

"He doesn't like medicine," Wakka spoke in.

"Oh," Tidus whispered. "I should remember that by now, huh?"

"I'll be alright," Sora confirmed, trying to get off the topic.

Tidus stared at his friend's forehead before speaking. "If you say so," he said as he stood up, looking around for the ball. When he spotted it, he walked over to it.

Wakka followed Tidus with his eyes, standing up as Tidus left to retrieve the ball. Before he walked away to join Tidus, he ruffled Sora's hair, something he always did to the younger male. And Sora could not complain. It was Wakka's way of telling him everything will be alright; and it calmed Sora.

As soon as Wakka and Tidus were out of sight, Riku leaned in toward his friend, and traced his fingers over Sora's forehead.

"Ow," Sora whined a bit, wincing slightly in pain.

The white-haired male's eyes had a sad look as he removed his fingers. "I'll be fine, Ri-kun!" Sora confirmed, again, trying to distract his friend.

Ignoring Sora's words, Riku leaned in closer, gently lacing his fingers around Sora's neck. He bent Sora's head down as he sat up to kiss Sora's sore forehead gently.

"R-ri-kun!" Sora's face turned bright red.

"There, all better," Riku smiled.

Nodding slightly, Sora lowered his head, trying his best to hide his blushing cheeks. "Y-yeah," he stuttered once again.

"Let's go swimming," Riku stood up and stretched again before smiling down at Sora.

X X X X X

Sora stood in the soaked sand, as the tides slowly rolled in an out, in and out, in an out. As the tide came in again, it brushed over Sora's feet and barely reaching another foot into the sand before rolling back in. Sora was enjoying the motion of the tide tugging back and forth between the shore and the ocean. The repetition was soothing to him, and felt really good on his feet that were sinking deeper into the sand.

"Come in, Sora!" a warm voice called out.

Looking up, Sora looked at his friend who called out at him. A gentle wind blew and Sora watched as Riku's hair blew across his face, and then Riku attempting to fix it, which did not work out too well.

"It's really nice," Riku took another step into the crystal clear water, squeezing his toes in between the sand. He was now in water that rose up to his upper legs, about ten feet from where Sora was.

"Yeah," the brown-hair male mumbled a bit; the water was indeed warm, but he wanted to stand there and watch Riku enjoy the ocean as he walked around, with the wind teasing Sora by blowing Riku's hair around. This was starting to seduce Sora in the most awkward way he could imagine.

And then reality hit him; he was falling in love with his best friend.

He had first noticed it in the middle of summer; it was a Thursday to be exact. Riku and he were watching a movie in Sora's room on his laptop. They were watching some old movie they rented for the heck of it, and the two of them were sitting on the bed, the laptop lying on the end of the bed. Sora and Riku were leaning against the headboard, lying exactly next to each other. Sora remembered it clearly; his arm was slightly lying on top of Riku's, and Riku did not budge at all.

Even at the end of the movie, Sora was getting tired, and thus yawned. When hearing this, Riku looked over at his friend and said, 'You can sleep on me if you're tired.' The younger male hesitated, and then after thinking it over for a few moments, he put his head on Riku's shoulder, realizing how strong it was. But as strong as his muscles were, he was comfortable—_really_ comfortable to lie on. Riku pulled the covers up onto Sora, who was falling asleep slowly but surely.

It was then Sora realized he needed Riku, and that he had this feeling in his heart. It had only been about fifteen days since they were united again, but he felt something he always felt with Riku before they were separated.

Sora felt safe in his arms.

The teen's thoughts were interrupted as a splash of water was thrown onto his face. Shaking his head to get the salty sea water off, Sora looked up at Riku, who was laughing. Riku was now deeper in the water; it was up to about his waist.

Riku held his hand out, his palm facing upward and his fingers stretched out. His eyes looked into Sora's, and Sora looked back.

"Let's go," Riku spoke out, his hand still held out.

Another tide crashed onto Sora's feet, covering up to his ankles.

A soft smile grew on Riku's lips.

Taking one step, Sora came a few inches closer to his friend. He took two more steps and then three, until he was three feet in front of Riku. Shaking slightly, he raised his hand, reaching out to Riku, about to grab it before a wave crashed behind Riku. The wave went right passed Riku, but when it came to Sora, who was not paying attention, got pushed back into the water, screaming as he fell.

Before he could crash on the water behind him, a strong hand grabbed onto his wrist, pulling him up back to his feet.

"Be careful, Sora," Riku still had his hand on Sora's wrist, holding it gently now.

"Sorry bout that," Sora laughed embarrassedly.

Riku only smiled in return and walked further into the water, tugging on Sora's wrist to follow him.

"It's really warm today!" Sora splashed his free hand in the water.

"Yeah, it is."

Breaking free from Riku's grip, Sora jumped from him behind, locking his arms around the older male's neck and leaned on him. "This can't be the end of summer!" he leaned kicked at the water below him.

The silver-haired male pulled Sora up onto his back and swam around a bit, giving him a ride in the water. "And school starts tomorrow," Riku added.

"Don't remind me!" Sora buried his head in his friends shoulder. "I don't want to go back there!"

"Why not?"

"Some of the people there annoy me…" he trailed off. "And the classes are hard for me."

"What classes do you have this year?"

The brunette fell silent, not saying anything. Lowering his head in shame, he tried to hide it as best as he could.

"Come on, Sora, I won't laugh," Riku assuringly spoke to Sora.

"No, I'm really stupid," the younger male mumbled. "Half of my classes are below average for my age."

Riku stopped swimming around, and pondered a bit. "But that doesn't make you stupid, Sora," he began, and then went back to pondering.

"But…I can't even be at the regular level," Sora's voice began to break up a bit.

Sighing, Riku bumped Sora off of him, and then turned around to look him directly in the eyes. "Don't let the school standards say who you are, Sora-kun, because the school does not know you like I do."

Sora stared back into his eyes. "Well, what are _your_ classes, Ri-kun?"

His friend hesitated before speaking. "I don't know yet," he warily spoke. "I, uhh…have to wait to get my schedule tomorrow."

The younger male pouted a bit. "What about in your old school?"

"Don't worry about it," Riku patted Sora on the head.

"But I do!" Sora burst out. "I _do_ care!"

"Sora-kun, school only gives you a grade from their academic standards. It has no means in describing what makes you you, or how you wake up every day and live your life with the decisions you make. Yes, it can get you into college and give you opportunities, but it's what you learn from education that helps to define you."

Silence fell between the two boys, as Sora thought over Riku's words, trying to digest them. Riku was in fact correct, but Sora still felt like he was at loss with not being at Riku's intelligence level.

"Sora," Riku sighed out. "If it makes you feel better, I am in AP and honor classes—"

"That doesn't help," Sora interrupted him.

"I'm not finished," Riku pushed some stray hairs out of his eyes. "But the only reason I am at that level is because of the pressure I am under from my parents; in order to be free and be on my own as I am now, my grades have to be the best of the best. No, not even that—I have to be at the top or all my freedoms are gone. Do you understand, Sora-kun?"

"Ri-kun…" Sora trailed off. "I'm sorry…" his voice began to shake again as he trembled.

"Sora, it's alright," Riku tilted his friends chin up so that Sora could see his smile. "I've learned to retain all the information in class so that it's is rather easy for me."

The younger male still had his chin resting on Riku's fingers but his eyes were lowered, avoiding eye contact with the silver-haired male.

Riku pulled Sora into him, hugging him as tight as his arms would allow him. "Don't worry about anything, Sora. Whatever it is that is bothering you, tell me. And this whole thing with how you keep saying you're dumb is ridiculous."

"But—"

"No buts!" Riku pulled away to look Sora in the eye. "If you were dumb, you wouldn't have kept your promise to me, Sora-kun."

X X X X X

A girl walked down the sidewalk that bordered the beach, headphones covering her ears playing one of her favorite songs.

She sang along to the lyrics.

"You're never there, and every time I sleep, you're always there," she sang out loud, swinging her pocket book back and forward as she strolled down the sidewalk.

"'Cause you're everywhere to me!" she sang as loud as she could, trying to stay in tune.

The girl turned to look at the beach, looking for one boy in particular. "And when I close my eyes it's you I see," she sang, scanning the beach for the spiky brown-haired boy she so desperately wanted to see.

As she opened her mouth to sing the next line of the song, her voice froze. She stopped swinging her bag and stopped where she stood.

There, walking out of the ocean was Sora, the boy she was looking for. But he was not alone; he was being carried on some silver-haired male's back.

Never had she seen this other boy before, and the way they were so friendly towards each other was driving her mad with anger. The red-haired girl stepped off the sidewalk and off the sand, making her way towards the two boys.

X X X X X

Riku tightened his grip on Sora's legs as he ran onto the sand with Sora on his back. He ran over to where there towels were and circled around them a few times before gently letting Sora down.

"That was so much fun!" Sora fell over a bit.

"Careful, there," Riku grabbed his shoulder and pulled him up.

"I'm fine, just a bit dizzy," he laughed it off.

"You sure?" Riku asked, rather concerned.

Nodding assuringly, Sora sat down on his towel, Riku sitting next to him.

"Ri-kun?" Sora looked over at his friend.

"Yeah, Sora?" Riku looked back.

The younger male bit his lip gently for a second, and averted his eyes to his feet. He looked back as he let go of his lip, and held his eyes on Riku's. "I'm so happy to be with you again."

And for the first time in eleven years, Sora's lips grew into a full smile, the beautiful smile Riku had longed to see.

Riku's feelings over came him, and he hugged Sora tightly. "Sora," he whispered, hugging him tightly.

"Well, hello there, Sora!"

Riku jumped back from Sora to look up at the owner of the voice, while Sora on the other hand just greeted the person back.

"Hey, Kairi."

"I have missed you just _so_ much this summer!" she sat down next to Sora and leaned over to hug him tightly. As she hugged him she looked over at Riku and gave him a dirty look.

'What the hell…?' Riku thought to himself.

A weak laugh escaped from Sora. "Yeah."

"That's all you can say, my dear Sora-kun?" She pressed herself against him a bit, moving her hips so more of her legs and rear end could be seen under her extremely short skirt.

"I told you not to call me that," Sora groaned a bit.

"But it's just adorable for you, you cutie patootie!" she tugged at his cheeks a bit.

Another groan escaped from Sora.

"Aw, Sora-kun!" Kairi giggled.

"Stop calling him that," Riku spat out at the girl.

"_Excuse_ me?" Kairi glared over at the boy again.

"I said, stop calling him Sora-kun like he is yours."

"And who are _you_?" Kairi's glare intensified.

"Tanaka Riku," Riku glared at Kairi as well.

"What an ugly name!" the red-head laughed. "You poor, ugly boy!"

"Kairi!" Sora shoved her off of him. "That's mean!"

"Oh, how could you disagree with me?" Kairi flipped her hair backwards. "I mean, _look_ at him. His hair is…_white_ for God's sake. I mean, _really_."

"How immature," Riku stood up. "For you to have to talk about a stranger so crudely to hide your own insecurities." He picked up his towel and bag. "That's just rather pathetic, wouldn't you agree?"

Kairi's eyes were fully wide, as she stared at the male.

"Let's go home, Sora-kun," Riku offered his hand out to Sora, who took it and pulled himself up, taking his towel with him.

The two boys walked away towards the sidewalk, and halfway to the sidewalk, Riku glared back Kairi, striking the beginning of a very intense rivalry.

X X X X X

Sorry this took a while longer to write, I got a bit busy x(

Thank you for all of your reviews!

But I'm sorry to say…that my updates might be taking longer.

My grades are slipping in math a bit.

Of course I got a student teacher that doesn't know how to teach.

Every time he tries to teach something he goes "Well, uhm. I really don't know…"

And then everyone does bad on the tests…

ANYWAY.

I need to work on getting my math grade up.

But I will be working on this story and my other one as much as I can.

I hope none of you have a student teacher EVER.

They're horrible. X.x

Thanks again, and until chapter eight!

Much love,

--Allie


	8. Chapter 8

Really sorry about the delay, I worked as hard as I can, but I've been finding myself doing homework and studying every day. So, uhh…time for writing has been limited and hard to find. But I really wanted to work on this chapter, it was annoying me every day that I could not so, here I am, working on chapter eight out of frustration for not writing.

Now that I'm done with my rambling….xD

Also—the song Kairi was singing is copywrited to Michelle Branch. Forgot about that x3

THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR REVIEWS!!

YOU ALL ARE SO AMAZING THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!

SO MUCH THANKS TO:

**dead edged blade**

**StormDarkblade**

**starry-nights88**

**athiest**

**bluemoonalchemist**

**FantasyFanatic1**

**AznAnimeChick**

**angel-yuripa**

**ManicAngel8**

**TOKYOPOPer**

**Chinese Fairy**

**hkph**

**Mizu Hikari**

**Riku-stalker**

**SoraKokiri**

**Jessyboo (caughtxinxthexrain)**

**Court12**

**AngeloftheSoul**

**Roxy Rockstar**

**Poetic Folly**

**Crazy Hyper Active Kitsune**

**chibikuro rose-sama**

X X X X X

**Fake a Smile**

Chapter Eight

Light shined in through the open window, which was partially blocked from the blinds, which made gentle clicking sounds as wind blew into the room. A sleeping form was curled up a ball-like shape, way under the covers, as if it was a safe haven for his body to hide from the outside world. Or in this case, the morning light he knew would come when he went to sleep the night before. He was tangled in between the sheet and comforter, which he slept with even though it was summer, with his love of being as warm as he could.

The door opened slightly, and a head popped into the room. "Of course he's not up," Roxas said, and then opened the door all the way. "When does Sora _ever_ wake up on time?"

Inwardly sighing, Roxas walked over to the bed where his brother was laying. "Sora," he whispered his twin's name, in hopes he would wake up. To no avail, Sora did not wake up, but Roxas was used to this. It felt just like yesterday that he was waking Sora up for the last day of school, and Sora thought Roxas was chocolate and tried to eat him.

Roxas could not help but laugh as he remembered that morning, and then remembering that was the day Riku returned. His laugh faded out and a smile was worn over his lips.

That day was a definite miracle.

Roxas sat down next to his brother's curled up form. He attempted to untangle his brother and the sheets, but did not succeed. Instead, he laid down next to Sora, cuddling up to him. "You're so distant with me," he whispered. Closing his eyes, he sighed, before speaking again. "I really wish I could do something to help."

"Muffinnnnn," Sora mumbled in his sleep.

Laughing slightly, Roxas looked at his brother. "Is food all you _ever_ dream of?" Remembering the last day of last school year, when Roxas woke up Sora and to be mistaken as chocolate by Sora.

"It's almost funny since you hardly eat anything, and you always talk about food in your sleep," Roxas ruffled at his twin's hair a bit. At his touch, Sora stirred a bit in his sleep.

"Five more minutes," the sleeping brother whined and burrowed his head into his pillow that had his legs curled over it as well.

"Sorry, Sora," Roxas pulled the covers down a little bit more. "It's time to get up."

X X X X X

"Are you going to take a shower, Sora?" Maiko asked a she walked up the stairs to see Sora carrying a towel in his arms. He stood in the hallways, with only his boxers covering his extremely tanned skin.

"Y-yeah," he rubbed his eyes.

"Then I'll leave your breakfast on the table for you. I have to go to work early," she came to the top of the stairs.

"Okay," Sora scratched the back of his head. "See you later 'kaa-san."

The teen waved his hand loosely at his mom and started his walk to the bathroom.

"Please be sure to eat breakfast this morning," Maiko's lips frowned a bit; her voice was full of concern.

"I'll eat if I'm hungry," he kept walking.

"Sora," she called out his voice.

Stopping his pace, Sora turned around to his mother. "I'll eat, don't worry," and with that he walked into his bathroom, and shut the door behind him.

"Oh, Sora," Maiko whispered, before walking back down the stairs.

X X X X X

With the door now closed behind him, Sora slumped his back down on the door, closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath. The wood was cool on his bare back.

A sigh escaped from his lips. "I don't mean to hurt you like that 'kaa-san."

Without anything else to think of, he pushed himself off the door. Sora tossed the deep-red colored towel he held in his hands onto the counter.

A bang was heard from the door, and quickly followed by another one. "Sora, it's 7:30, so hurry up!" Roxas called in.

"I'll be out in a few minutes," Sora replied, reaching over to the water handles of the shower.

"Okay," Roxas spoke through the other side of the door. "I'll bring your stuff downstairs."

"Thanks," Sora had the water running now, and kept switching between cold and warm until he found a comforting temperature in the middle.

Now having the water comfortable, and the fact that it was half-past seven, Sora rubbed his eyes, mentally apologizing to his mother. 'I can't eat with this rushed time,' Sora took a hold of the hem of his boxers and slid them off to the bottom of his feet. Unraveling his feet from the boxers, he picked them up and tossed them to the hamper by the sink.

The blue-eyed male took one step into the shower, and then stepped his other foot in so that his whole body was now getting covered with warm, soothing water, closing the shower door behind him. As the water poured from the shower head onto his body, he sighed and relaxed. He ran his fingers through his hair, to soak it with the water.

He reached over for the shampoo and squirted some into his hand, and then did the same with the shampoo, rubbing them together in his hand. Scrubbing the combination of the shampoo and conditioner, Sora quickly washed his hair and rinsed out the soap.

With his hair clean, Sora quickly put some soap all over his dark-tan skin, rinsing if off just as quickly as he put it on. Finished with his quick—_extremely_—quick shower, Sora turned the water handles inward, turning the water off.

The brunette slid the door open and stepped onto the mat outside his shower, drying his feet off on there while reaching across the room for his red towel, trying to not get the floor wet at the same time.

But, being the sort-of klutzy person he is, Sora tripped over the mat and fell and landed on the corner of the counter-top, hitting his head in the exact spot where he had a bruise from when the volleyball slammed onto his head.

A loud BANG! then an even louder noise of a huge THUD! was heard.

Roxas, who was biting on a piece of toast, looked towards the stairs from his kitchen—the sound definitely raised a frightened curiosity.

"That doesn't sound good," he mumbled before getting up from his seat and running toward the stairs.

X X X X X

A strident knock was echoed through the rooms of the Murakimi house. Riku stood at the front door, his hair partially wet with the wet strands of hair sticking to the skin on his neck and face. He stood there in front of the doorway, in semi-tight jeans that cut low at his hips and a tight, dark lavender shirt that had rips and tears scattered across it. Under the rips and tears was a beige-colored shirt, which he wore under his violet shirt.

Riku was about to knock again with no reply, but then a voice called out from within the seemingly abandoned house. "Hold on!" the voice called out.

Nodding in reply, even though no one was around to see him, Riku pulled down at the ankles of his pants. He had ordered the new style of jeans from an online store, but did not realize how tight they were—and he did not mean his ankles.

Finally, a click of locks being unlocked was heard and the door was opened. Looking into the door, Riku saw Roxas and smiled gently. "Morning," he spoke through the screen door. "Did I wake you guys up?"

"No, we've been up since seven," Roxas opened the screen door. "But you did catch us in a rather interesting moment."

"What do you mean?" Riku stepped inside.

"IT HURTS!" a whine was heard from the other side of the house.

Recognizing the voice, Riku kicked off his shoes, slipping easily out of them since they were Vans, and ran to the kitchen to where Sora sat on the floor. He was in the center of the room, with an ice pack on top his head, his knees up, and his hands clinging tightly onto his ankles and wincing in pain.

"What happened?" Riku ran over to Sora and looked down at the ice pack.

"I fell and hit my head!" Sora gripped tighter onto his ankles. "It hurts!" he bit at his lip to hold back the tears.

Not knowing what to say, Riku kneeled down next to his friend and removed the ice pack gently, only to have Sora whimper out "Ow!"

"I'm not going to hurt you, Sora-kun," Riku managed to get the ice pack off his head and now looked at his forehead to see the bruise from yesterday, but now bigger, redder, and extremely swollen. "How did you do this?"

"I slipped when I came out of the shower," the brunette's grip on his ankles was getting tighter and tighter.

'Shower?' Riku thought to himself, and then looked down to notice that Sora was pretty much naked—minus the boxers he was wearing.

Oh, God was all Riku could think of at this sight.

Not that he hasn't seen Sora with that little clothing, but just that he was fresh out of the shower…okay—changing thoughts! Riku stumbled over his own thoughts. He should not be thinking such things about his friend.

"It hurts so badly," tears fell from Sora's eyes. "It's so painful, Ri-kun!" he sobbed a bit, his shoulders trembling ever so slightly.

"I think it's just bruised," Riku averted his eyes to the bruise, trying to concentrate on that. "It's just swollen."

The younger male was now crying, the skin around his ankles pure white from his strong grip on them. "Make the pain stop," he bellyached, sobbing and shaking.

"I can't do that, I'm sorry, Sora-kun," Riku gently put his arms around his friend and hugged him tightly. "There, there," he patted his shoulder. "It's okay, it's painful but you're okay, no signs of a concussion."

"R-r-really?"

"Yes," the white-haired male confirmed. "You'll be just fine, I promise, Sora-kun."

X X X X X

After a few minutes of calming down Sora, the young male finally began to get ready for school. He was presently in his room, putting on his jeans over his boxers, trying not to move his head as much as he could. Every time he even turned it, it ached.

"You doing okay?" Riku called out from the hallway.

"Yeah," Sora zipped up his pants. "I'm alright, thank you."

Looking at his mirror against the wall, Sora looked up and down at his figure in the mirror, in just his jeans and nothing else, well his boxers, of coarse, but that was all.

'I want to wear something that might impress Ri-kun,' he thought to himself. 'I doubt he could ever return my feelings, but I guess it's worth a shot.'

Walking over to his dresser, Sora looked for a shirt to wear for the day that would look good on him. A few minutes went by, and Sora was unable to find anything he liked.

"Sora-kun, it's almost eight o'clock," Riku spoke through the door once again.

"I'll be out in a minute!" Sora rushed now, panicking. Finally, he came upon a shirt he liked a lot. It was a gray shirt, it was some-what small on him, but he put it on anyway, to have a hood cover over his head. Gently removing the hood to behind him, Sora managed to do so without hurting his head any more. He moved his shoulders around, to notice the sleeves that ran down to the middle of the upper half of his arm cling rather tightly to them, but not tight enough to cut off his circulation.

The short-sleeved hoodie was a medium gray, and tightest at Sora's waist, where it cut off just in the middle of his three-rowed studded belt. On the shirt was a rather pretty design; there were yellow lines scattered all over on the bottom right side of it (as if you were looking at it directly) and an upside down heart on the top left side of it in a thick line. Now with a shirt on and fully dressed, Sora walked to his door.

"Sora?" the voice called in, for the third time.

The called male opened the door right after his name was said. "Ready!" he cheerfully spoke as he stood in front of Riku.

Riku, on the other hand, eyed Sora up and down, and then realizing that there was a silence due to him looking Sora up and down—who, by the way, looking absolutely amazing—quickly averted his eyes back to the aqua ones of his friends. "Well, uhm, I have a surprise," he quickly blurted out.

"Oh!" Sora stepped out of his room and towards the stairs. "What kind of surprise?"

"You'll see," Riku walked behind Sora, who was in pants that were rather noticeably tight around his well-shaped ass.

'Stop staring,' Riku growled to himself in his head. 'Friends, friends, stop getting so sexually interested. Remember; friends!'

X X X X X

"Here's the surprise," Riku took his hands off of Sora's eyes so that Sora could see what was on the driveway.

Sora's eyes widened in shock. "A-a car!?" was all he could stutter out of his lips, as his eyes looked upon a midnight black BMW, parked right in front of Sora's lawn. "Wow," he whispered, completely astonished.

"I'll be your personal chauffeur," Riku casually put his arm lazily around his younger friend's shoulder.

A small laugh escaped from Sora. "You don't have to."

"Oh," Riku smiled. "But I want to."

"But, it's a _BMW_," Sora's eyes were still stuck on the car.

"And it's not my money I'm using to pay for it," Riku smiled and took his arm off of Sora. "Let's go get some coffee before we go to school."

X X X X X

Sipping on the hot coffee in his hands, Sora tried to avoid all the looks he was getting from the other students walking into school. He was currently driving through the parking lot with Riku, and they were driving around in circles, having trouble finding the parking spot that Riku was given in the mail.

"Fucking parking lot," Riku growled, taking a right turn into the third and last lane of cars in the parking lot for what seemed the twentieth time. "I see it starts at spot 201," he drove a few more yards. "Then when it goes to spot 206," he eyed at where his spot was, growling at himself. "Someone's in my spot."

As he stopped a few feet away from the spot, the car in his spot turned on, and the driver pulled out hap hazardously, and the driver stepped out.

"Riku, _darling_!" the annoying voice called out.

"Kairi," Riku muttered angrily under his breath.

Ignoring her jabbering voice, Riku pulled into the parking spot and looked over at Sora. "Well, we have the spot," he smiled as best as he could. 'Kairi is a friend of Sora's,' Riku thought. 'So let's try to make this as peaceful as possible.'

Sora nodded, and pushed on the red button to release his seatbelt.

"Will you come to the main office with me?" Riku asked, he knew Sora would say yes, but he was trying to stall time from the red-head that was babbling on and making her way to his door.

"Yeah," Sora looked over at Riku, then looked over at the girl who had an annoyed look on her face.

Riku figured that he should at least be some-what polite, so he opened his window for the girl.

"_Finally_!" she scoffed. "See how _rude_ he is Sora? Can you _believe_ him? I mean, _GOSH_! Being so rude to an upperclassman! What an idiotic sophomore! And to _think_ that you are permitted to _drive_ to school!"

"Kairi!" Sora exclaimed. "Don't be so mean to him!" his voice was rather harsh.

"W-what?"

"Can't you be nice to him? He hasn't done anything to you," Sora looked directly into her eyes.

"Uhm, well," she glanced from side to side.

Riku simply took his keys out of the ignition and held them tightly in his hand. With his other hand, he grabbed onto the handle of the door and opened it, not caring if he hit Kairi or not. As he stepped out of the car, he made sure to step close to Kairi. There was no doubt that he was nearly a foot taller than her, being almost six-feet tall, and Kairi only a couple inches taller than five feet.

"If you're the upperclassmen," Riku glanced down at her school ID card, "Then why is your ID card blue, the color for juniors?" He then pulled out his from his back pocket. "And mine is—what's that? Is that black for _seniors_?" Riku grinned at her. "If anything, it's _you_ who is the rude one to the upperclassman."

Kairi had nothing else to say but she did not want to admit defeat. Noticing that Sora was watching from the car, she did the only thing she knew she could do—cry.

Riku almost jumped back in surprise as tears formed in her eyes. "You didn't have to be so cruel!" she whined, sobbing—it was overdramatic, but Riku was shocked that she would get so…so…_low_ to do this!

"I was only trying to be your friend!" she screamed, getting the attention of the kids around her. Riku looked around with disinterested eyes.

"How could you be so _cruel_ to me?" Kairi definitely had the attention of all the people in the parking lot, which was a decent amount of twenty to thirty people at least.

"What have I ever done to you!" she ran off in the direction of the school, crying and sobbing, leaving all the people in the parking lot to stare at Riku with eyes asking what they did to the 'poor girl'.

X X X X X

"Your name?" the lady at the front desk of the main office asked in a rather dull, uncaring voice.

"Tanaka Riku," the silver-haired male responded.

"Oh," the lady flashed a smile. "Tanaka-sama, welcome!" her voice changed to a more pleasant one.

Riku inwardly rolled his eyes—he hated how his family name changed how people treated him. For once he just wanted to be accepted for who he was and not the name he was given.

The younger male realized that the lady's change of attitude was annoying Riku, and without realizing it, he gently reached his hand out to Riku's wrist and rested them there. This startled Riku at first, but then he gradually calmed down at Sora's touch.

"The principal would love to give you a welcoming meeting," the lady presumed, going through some files.

"That's not necessary," Riku replied. "May I just have my schedule?"

"Of course," the lady reached over to a desk behind her and opened a folder, skimming through until she found the correct schedule and handed it to the boy.

"Thanks," Riku took the paper and skimmed it quickly.

"And, we're sorry to inconvenience you," the lady's voice faltered slightly. "But we have no more lockers to give to you."

"Okay," Riku thought it over.

"He can share a locker with me," Sora intervened.

"Is that alright with you, Tanaka-sama?"

"Just Tanaka is fine, and yes I'm great with it, if Sora is fine with it," he looked over at Sora, who nodded.

"Whatever you need of mine, is yours Riku," he smiled.

"Well, if that's all," Riku folded his schedule in half, "Then I'll be on my way."

"Oh, of course Tanaka-sam—uhm, Tanaka."

Riku gave a half-smile to the lady before turning his back and walking out the door, Sora right behind him.

X X X X X

Sora closed the locker after him and Riku put their bags and lunches into it. The blue-eyed male was currently writing the locker combination on the last page of Riku's note book.

"I just wrote it in reverse," Sora said, handing it to Riku.

Riku looked down at the paper. "So it's 60, 13, and 32?" Riku read it off the paper.

"No, flip the numbers not their order."

The older male looked up at Sora. "Uhm, sure."

"Here," Sora leaned in closer, pointing towards the numbers. "I wrote it as 32, 13, and 60, but the combination is 23, 31, and 6."

"Oh," Riku nodded. "Thank you."

"Anytime," Sora looked up, to notice that he was extremely close to his friend. His arm was leaning on top of Riku's, and he could feel his warmth by the few inches they were separated.

"SORA!" a voice called out, interrupting the nice moment the two shared, just looking into one-another's eyes.

The two boys immediately jumped back from one another when the voice shouted out, which was followed by lout footsteps and a blob of green, yellow, and black ran in front of Riku and tackled Sora down the floor.

Sora let out a cry as he was slammed onto the ground, and the ball of colors just hugged him. "Senpai, senpai!" the colored blob squealed. "I've missed you this summer!"

"Good to see you too, Yuffie!" Sora laughed. "You still have your original style, don't you?"

"Of course!" the girl sat up now, her legs crossed underneath her—she was still on top of Sora, however. She had on a tight green shirt, that had short sleeves and cut right above her bellybutton. Underneath she had a rather short yellow skirt on—who knows why she was sitting as she was on top of Sora like that. She was wearing black gloves that covered her fingers and trailed a few inches up her arm.

"I finally got to go shopping on the big island!" she giggled.

"That's good, but," Sora was struggling to get up. "It would be better if you would get off me so I can get up?"

"Oh!" she jumped up, and off of him. "Sorry, Sora!"

"No problem," Sora stood up, standing next to Riku. "I'd also like to introduce you to my good friend Riku, here, Yuffie."

Yuffie looked up at the rather tall male, and flashed a huge smile to him. "Hello, Riku!"

"Hello," Riku smiled back.

"So how do you know Sora?"

Riku looked over at Sora and smiled before answering the younger girl's question. "We were childhood friends," he started.

"Ooooooh," Yuffie nodded her head.

Before Riku could talk again, the bell rang, signaling the students that it was 8:25, a warning bell before the actual bell for class would ring—which Riku did not mind one bit.

"Well, I'm off to class, bye!" the girl waved before running off.

"She seems nice," Riku said as the girl disappeared.

"Yeah," the blue-eyed male nodded. "But once she hangs with you a lot you can't get her to shut up sometimes." Sora averted his eyes to Riku's. "So what class do you have now?"

"Uhm," Riku took out his schedule from his back pocket. "Gym," he read to Sora.

"Can I see your schedule?"

Riku handed Sora his schedule, and the younger male looked it over.

"Aww, we only have lunch together," he whined.

"Really?" Riku read over his schedule again—he was hoping to be in at least _one_ class with Riku.

"But, I guess I can't say I didn't expect that," Sora rubbed at the back of his neck, handing the schedule back to its owner.

"What do you mean?" Riku tilted his head.

"Nothing," Sora changed the subject. "Go out of the main entrance and take a left until you see another large building, the farthest away from the school is the gym class entrance."

"Thanks, but what do you mean?"

The second bell rang, signaling the students that class would be staring in five minutes. "Nothing, I'll see you at fifth period!" Sora ran off in the other direction, off to his first period class, leaving Riku to stand there with a befuddled look spread across his face.

X X X X X

Riku followed Sora's directions; he had walked back to the main entrance of the building and took a left once he got outside. He has halfway to the end of the building, taking his time while walking.

'I wonder what Sora meant before,' Riku pondered to himself. 'It's just like him to keep his attitude so up-beat, even when he's upset.'

Reaching the end of the main building, Riku began to see the second building that Sora had told him about. It was a fairly large building in size, but less than half the size of the main building Riku had just walked out from. He walked all the way towards the end of the building, the farthest away from the building he just came from, until he came to the big, entrance doors.

As he was opening the door, the bell rang out, signifying it was the beginning of class.

"Oi!" a voice called from behind him, as he took his first step into the room. "Riku!"

The silver-white-haired male turned around the voice calling out from him, looking at the voice that called out to him. "Hey, Axel," Riku smiled.

He had only seen the red-head once that summer, when he saw Roxas sitting on the side-walk with him one morning. The two were eating popsicles and laughing, and Riku joined them in their conversation. Axel was a nice guy, he remembered, someone he could feel that he could trust—to an extent, that is.

"We're in the same gym period!" Axel flashed a grin.

"It appears so," Riku held the door open for Axel.

"Thanks," Axel grabbed the door and walked in.

"Axel!" a rather familiar, but disturbing to Riku's ears, voice called out. "Oh, Axel!"

The red-head turned over, to have another red-head run up to him. "You're in my class, how fun it will be!" the girl giggled. As she giggled, she looked over at Riku, giving a small glare at him, making it short and as unnoticeable to Axel as she could.

Unfortunately, Axel could not be mistaken for as dumb.

"Uhm, sure," Axel glared at her. "Such fun that you'll be my partner, right?"

"Of course!" the girl giggled again.

"Then take the blame for why I'm late," Axel smiled and grabbed Riku by the wrist, jumping far away to the side, out of view of the teacher storming over to where Kairi was now standing alone.

"Miss Yamada!" the teacher screeched out. "Care to explain why you are dilly-dawdling by the door instead of sitting in the bleachers like the other students?"

"Uhm, well—" Kairi tried to explain. "It was…Riku! Tanaka Riku! He was being so mean to me again!"

"There are no other students here, Miss Yamada. Take your seat and be lucky that I am only giving you an after-school detention."

"What!?"

"You want to make that a week, Miss Yamada?"

"N-no," Kairi walked over to the bleachers, taking her seat as she sulked, mumbling under her breath.

Axel and Riku were a few seats above her, and gave each other a small high-five, glad of what they accomplished.

"Welcome to the Anti-Kairi-Club," Axel grabbed Riku's hand and shook it.

Riku laughed as he shook hands with Axel.

"Our main goal is to torture Kairi and ruin her life," Axel let loose of Riku's hand. "But, we only do it when she deserves it. Otherwise, she's tolerable."

"I think I like the first part better than the second."

And that was the beginning of the gym-class journeys of Axel and Riku.

X X X X X

Riku sat in the library, finishing up his homework he was assigned. Being in all advanced placement and honor classes gave him multiple of assignments upon assignments for homework, even on the first day. Luckily, school always came easy to him; if it did not, then who knows what his 'parents' would have said—or done—to him.

He finished up his last assignment for AP Chemistry, a three paragraph essay on the first two pages of the textbook. It was an easy assignment, it was just slightly time-consuming.

But again, fortune was on his side—Riku had last period as a free period, which no other students in the school had. Since he had always been in AP classes, the school gave him this extra period off, since he had no desire in taking a second activities class, since he already chose art as one.

Sighing, he closed his textbook and his notebook, piling them on top of the sketchpad he was given during art class. This made him remember he had one more assignment, and it was for art class.

His project was to sketch something dear to them, and it could be anything that he wanted to draw, but it had to be something that was special or important to him.

'Something dear to me,' Riku sighed, thinking to himself. 'Not something…but…someone…'

In the midst of his thoughts, the bell rang loudly, echoing through the loud hallways and empty library—it was finally the end of the day.

'Someone,' Riku thought again as he collected his books and stood up. 'I think I should tell this someone,' he walked towards the door and walked out, walking in the direction of the locker he shared with a certain blue-eyed, cinnamon-haired boy.

And then it hit him—literally.

Riku was nearly tackled to the floor, as Sora hugged him tightly. "Ri-kun!" he hugged him even tighter.

The silver-haired male hugged him back to realize…

"Y-you're wet!" Riku winced back a bit. "Why are you wet, Sora?!?"

"Swim practice!" Sora looked up from his tight embrace and looked up at Riku. "I ran out early just to see you."

A soft smile formed on Sora's lips as the two male's eyes connected.

And Riku melted; that one smile reassured his feelings for Sora. It was not just that he wanted Sora, it was that he _loved_ Sora, for several years to be exact.

"Sora-kun," Riku hugged him tightly. "I have to tell you," he whispered.

"T-tell me what?" the younger boy now leaned his head on Riku's shoulder, his head still facing up towards Riku. His heart beat was racing—he was standing in the middle of a pretty damn crowded hallway, and Riku was hugging him.

Holding him, and in public.

"Sora-kun," Riku whispered. "Will you promise me you will never hate me for what I have to say?"

"Never, I'll never hate you, Ri-kun."

"Sora-kun," Riku said his friend's name again. "I…I…"

X X X X X

CLIFFHANGER!!! D:

Sorry about that, but it's just…how the story will work out for now.

But next chapter serious fluff!!!

I AM SO SO SO SO SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING!

I did work on this story, it just took me forever to write. It's about eleven pages or so.

Thank you again for everyone who reviewed and read.

You guys are amazing!

I'm going to be working on much more chapters quickly, I have a couple days off next week and will be spending them working on this story.

THANK YOU AGAIN & PLEASE REVIEW IF YOU READ!

Sorry again for the long wait, I hope that the length of the chapter will make up for it.

--Allie


	9. Chapter 9

Somehow this chapter took longer to write than I expected oo;;

So…….yeah.

BUT THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED!

YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME :D

You should also go review my story on the account I share with my friend Jessy.

The pen name is Diru x Girls

Go review our story, yeah??

THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING REVIEWERS:

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And since some of you asked about joining the Anti-Kairi Club, anyone who wants in can be in haha. I just did that for fun but I'm glad it made people happy XD

X X X X X

**Fake A Smile**

Chapter Nine

His words were hard to say, and nearly impossible, but he had to get it out of him once and for all. It was partially true that he had some perverted thoughts about Sora, but he just wanted Sora's love and attention.

The noisy halls were not helping, as well as the fact that people who were passing by stared, and some even stopped to watch.

But this was the time to get it out, for Riku to express his feelings for the male he was embracing ever so tightly, though he was soaking wet.

That was, until, a certain blonde bumped into them.

"S-sorry!" the blonde apologized from where she fell back onto the floor from the collision.

Riku just growled a bit, and Sora was holding onto his already bruised head that he bumped, _again_, rather hard, on Riku's shoulder as the girl ran into them.

"Oh, Naminé, you can't hide!" a girl's voice called as she stepped in front of the girl sitting on the floor.

"P-please d-d-don't!" the blonde whined, crawling backwards, tears falling down from her eyes.

A cackle escaped from the girl standing up. "I won't go as far as to kill you," her laugh came to a stop. "I'm just going to pay you back for snitching me out!" She held up her hand to strike at the girl, but Riku had other plans.

Before the girl could even take a breath in, Riku was standing in front of her, holding her wrist up in the air.

"You interrupted me, and now I have to know why you are striking at this girl," Riku tightened his grip on the girl's wrist.

He was not pissed; he was beyond infuriated.

"Get your filthy hand off of me!" the girl, with all her might, which was not much it seemed, tried to pry Riku's hand off of her.

Riku leaned in closer to the girl, his face millimeters away from his. "You will turn around and never come near the girl or me again," his eyes had a deathly scary look to them as he stared deeply into her shivering ones. "Or you will resent every waking moment of your life."

The girl stood frozen, shaking slightly from fear.

"Do you understand?"

She nodded her head rapidly, and Riku let go of her.

"Leave," he growled out, and the girl scampered away.

The "fight" had drawn a rather nice-sized crowd of twenty students or so, who were staring in awe, and fear, of the silver-white-haired male that was now walking over to Naminé.

The blonde on the floor stared up at Riku with huge eyes full of awe.

"You alright?" Riku bent his knees and kneeled down next to the girl. "She didn't hurt you, right?"

"No, I'm fine, thanks to you," she said in a sweet voice and smiled gently. "Thank you so much, I appreciate it greatly!"

"Yeah," Riku stood up. "Glad you're alright."

Naminé smiled again at the boy, and then noticed the brunette that walked up beside him. "Oh, senpai!" she smiled a third time, now at Sora.

"Hey, Naminé," Sora replied. "Girls still giving you trouble?"

"I'm fine," Naminé flashed another warm smile to the boy.

"That's good," Sora pushed a few of his bangs aside. "Well, this is Riku," Sora pointed at his friend. "He's my childhood friend!" Sora smiled and put his arm around Riku's shoulder. "We've been a duo since we were in diapers!"

Naminé could not help but smile deep from her heart this time. She had never seen Sora smile in the past year that she has known him and was pretty sure it was this Riku-boy's doing.

Standing up, Naminé bowed down towards Riku. "Thank you very much," she said before rising up. "You really did save me."

"No need to worry about it," Riku shook his hand up in front of him.

"Oh," Naminé tilted her head a bit. "But I do," she waved gently before saying goodbye and walking off.

"Isn't she nice?" Sora looked up at Riku.

"Yeah."

"That's Kairi's little sister."

There was a long silence from Riku.

"Seriously?" the older male finally responded.

"Seriously," Sora laughed gently.

Another silence fell between the two boys.

"That poor girl," Riku took his time to say.

"Kairi's not _that_ bad," Sora defended his friend. "Yes, she can get jealous easily, but she's always been like that."

"But I don't want to lose you to her," Riku mumbled.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing," Riku smiled at his friend. "Shall we go home for some ice cream?"

"Yeah!" Sora jumped up and down. "Cookiedoughcookiedoughcookiedough!" he sang cheerfully.

Laughing, Riku ruffled the brunette's soft, spiky hair. "You really are too cute, Sora."

X X X X X

"Sora!" a soft-brunette called out, running out of the doors of the high school.

The called-out brunette turned around to see his brother smiling and waving at him. "Hey, Roxas!" he grinned happily at his brother.

'That smile,' Roxas stopped running, dead in his tracks. 'His smile is back.'

"You okay?" Sora asked after watching his brother stand in place, his eyes wide in shock.

"I'm….perfectly fine," a small smile escaped his lips. "I'm just happy," Roxas ran to his brother and hugged him. "Sora," he whispered. "Your smile, it's back!" he whispered a little bit louder. "Sora!"

"Hey, hey!" Sora pushed back a bit. "What's with this smile talk? I've always been smiling!"

Riku's eyebrow raised a bit as the two stared at each other, a deeper conversation existing as their eyes connected for those few moments than words could ever say.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Sora took a step back.

"Sora…" Roxas's eyes grew in sorrow.

"Oh Roxaaaaas!" a voice coo-ed out. "Where are youuuuu?"

Roxas turned around to see a red-head pop out of the school doors. "You left dropped your books in the hall!"

"Sorry, Axel," a warm smile grew on the blondish-brunette's face.

"Oh, you better apologize," he stopped right in front of his friend. "…by buying me a drink at the coffee shop."

"Fine, fine," Roxas gave in easily. How _could_ he resist Axel's smile, anyway?

"Yay, I win!" Axel put Roxas's books in his bag.

"Don't carry those, I have it!" the shorter male reached over to grab his books.

Axel just held his messenger bag over his head and grinned slyly. "Did anyone ever tell you that when you get all flustered like that you're too cute for words?"

Blushing furiously, Roxas lowered his head. "W-what are you saying?" he muttered, the blush growing redder by the second.

"Buy me some whip-cream too and maybe I'll show you it with some fun," Axel winked at his friend. Looking up at Riku, he smiled. "Take care of the other twin, or I might have to come after you." He then looked over to Sora. "Roxas and I have a project to work on, so we'll see you at lunch tomorrow."

Startled, Riku tried to hide the blush forming on his face as well. He lowered his head and watched Axel walk away through his bangs, and continued to watch until he was out of sight, with Roxas walking right next to him.

"So," Riku tried to avoid Axel's last statement. "Uhm, who was that?"

"That was Axel," Sora turned around to face Riku. "Roxas is crazy about him," the younger male smiled at his friend.

"It's kind of obvious."

"Yeah," a gentle laugh escaped from Sora. "Axel has fun torturing him."

"Are they dating?"

"Not yet," Sora walked up to Riku. "Roxas is waiting for Axel to make the first move."

The silver-haired male blushed as Sora stepped closer, his body oh-so close to his. His gorgeous, slim body that screamed out to his; or so he hoped.

But oh God, just looking into Sora's eyes made Riku's heart skip a beat.

"Roxas is just too nervous to admit his real feelings," the brunette took another step, barely an inch away from Riku. "He's afraid of rejection and pain, to be left all alone in the dark to spend his days holding onto a dream to never know if it will become true or not. Never knowing with what the future will bring, he keeps a distance until something is thrown out and he feels like he can trust what is given," Sora paused for a second before continuing. "He has to find the same feeling in the person in order to feel safe with showing his true feelings."

Green eyes stared intently in blue eyes, reading every ounce of emotion they could gather through that long, breath-taking stare.

Riku knew damn well that it was not just Roxas that Sora was talking about.

X X X X X

The radio was playing old-hits from the nineties, which played gently through the car at a rather low volume. It was the only noise to break through the silence, and it was hard for Riku to pay attention to the road.

The ride to school was a twenty minute drive, not including the five minutes of picking up the ice cream for Sora, that is.

Without knowing what else to do, Riku reached to the backseat of the car when he came to a red light. He fumbled around until he found what he wanted; his CD case.

Ever since he did a project about popular American music in his freshman year of high school, he became nearly obsessed with it. He did like Japanese Rock as well, but he was rather fond of the band's he had discovered from America.

The light turned green, and as best as he could, Riku flipped through the CDs while driving, until he came to a CD he had just recently bought. He put it into the player of his car and searched through to the last song, pressing the repeat button after he did so.

He knew the song was only about minute long, but he really did love the song. And it seemed to fit the moment pretty damn well.

A soft piano-like tune began to play as the song played.

Sora turned his head to the CD player. "What—"

"Shh," Riku whispered, glancing over at him quickly to flash a quick, warm smile.

Nearly right after Riku whispered his shush, he opened his voice to sing. "If you're alone and  
I'm alone, let's be alone together," he began to sing. His voice was not the best voice ever, but it was pretty decent and really good compared to some people.

Sora just sat there in the passenger seat, watching Riku as he pulled onto the road leading to their street.

"We can have a drink and shoot the shit and talk about the weather," the same soothing tune continued to play throughout the entire song. "Cause baby I know this world has got you shaking in your shoes."

Riku was now pulled onto their street and parked in front of Sora's house. He finished up the last verse of the short, but intensely soothing and beautiful song. "So if you're alone and I'm alone," he looked over at Sora, gazing deeply into his eyes. "Why don't we be alone together?"

The song died out softly, and Riku held his gaze at Sora's eyes. "Sora," he whispered after the CD turned off, it being the end of the CD and all.

"R-ri-kun," Sora whispered as well.

"Let's go in, shall we?" Riku ejected the CD from the player and took out his keys.

The brunette nodded and opened his door, Riku doing the same. After locking his car, Riku walked over to where Sora stood by the mailbox, waiting for his friend. The two walked side by side in silence as they walked up the drive way and towards the door.

Riku flipped through his keys until he came to the one that opened the door to Sora's house. The brunette had given him a key over the summer, two weeks ago. He remembered the day clearly.

He had rang the door-bell to pick up Sora to go out and meet everyone at the beach for a bonfire. It was roughly past eleven that evening, and Sora greeted him at the door with the key dangling in his hand.

"This key is your entry into this house," Sora said with a smile. "Come in whenever you want, no matter what day or time it is or who is here, you're always welcomed here."

A smile began to grow on Riku's pale lips as he remembered the way Sora's hand felt as he gave the key to him. Coming back to what he was doing, Riku twisted the key to the left, opening the door, and stepping into the house. The brunette followed right behind him, his hands closing the door slowly before taking a step forward.

"Ri-kun," Sora took a hold of his friend's lavender shirt, pulling at one of the tears in it.

Turning around, Riku looked down at his friend whose face had a melancholy look to it.

"What were you saying earlier?" Sora mumbled, just loud enough for his friend to hear.

Now rather embarrassed, Riku blushed. "Well, uhm," Riku stumbled with words.

"I want to know," Sora let go of his friend's shirt. "Tell me, please…"

The older male turned so that he was completely facing Sora. "Don't abandon me for this," he whispered.

"Why would I—"

Sora's eyes widened as Riku's long, slender fingers brushed against his cheek, and as Riku lowered his head and pressed his lips along his.

There he was, standing with his best friend who he loved so dearly, and his friend was _kissing _him.

Riku pulled back, a blush on his face. "I'm sorry, Sora," Riku looked at the floor. "Hate me if you want to but…I have feelings for you. They're deep and true, please believe me…"

The younger male reached his hand up and pulled Riku's hair down, which pulled his head down as well. He locked his lips with Riku's—which startled Riku at first—but then when Sora pushed his lips hungrily into Riku's, Riku pushed back.

Riku parted his lips to lick Sora's soft ones, asking for an entrance. Sora gladly opened his lips and their tongues collided.

The silver-haired male moaned as he deepened the kiss, tracing his tongue around Sora's teeth and tasting the boy he loved with all of his heart. Sora still had a strong grip on Riku's hair, which Riku was not protesting against. The pain mixed with the pleasure was arousing.

And Sora could tell.

The brunette felt something harden against his lower abdomen as he stood close to Riku. He had guessed that the pain had excited Riku, so he pushed his tongue against Riku's until he had the dominance for a while. Now that he had Riku, Sora nibbled gently at Riku's lip, licking it as he bit it.

In response, Riku moaned deeply, pushing his hips closer to Sora. The moan sent a shiver up Sora's spine, cause him to harden as well.

It was then that the two parted, their breathing slightly labored and their heart beats racing.

"All this time," Riku whispered. "We had the same feelings, didn't we?"

"Always and forever for me," Sora twirled some of the silver locks of hair around his finger.

"I'm so happy," Riku caressed Sora's cheek, rubbing circles against it with his thumb. "I care for you so much, Sora."

Knowing actions speak louder than words, Sora reached his hand down to Riku's and entwined their fingers together. He hurriedly walked towards the stairs at the back at the house and ran up them, dragging Riku by the hand. They came into Sora's room where they quickly opened and then closed his door.

Riku threw his keys down on the floor as well as the CD so that he could pick Sora up, who wrapped his legs around his friend.

"Will you be my boyfriend?" Riku asked, wrapping his arms securely around Sora's waist.

"If you stay by my side and always care for me," Sora entangles his hands in Riku's hair once again.

"I'll never leave your side," the silver-haired male sat down on the bed, inching all the way back to lean against the wall.

"Promise?" Sora lowered his head to Riku's, their lips hovering over one another.

"I promise," Riku closed the distance from their lips and once again claimed dominance in the fight of their tongues.

Riku found that he could get the most exciting moan from Sora when he licked down his cheek and to his ear.

This also got Riku hot as well.

Sora fell back against the bed and pulled Riku with him, pulling his body on top of his with his arms around his neck. "Ri-kun," he whispered before capturing the pale lips once again, biting at Riku's lower lip and grinding his hips upward as he did so.

Waves of pleasure over-came Riku's body, and lust began to rise in his mind and his body parts.

"No," he whispered, pulling back slowly. "I want to make this real," Riku looked into Sora's eyes. "Let's take this one step at a time," he smiled gently. "We'll wait until we can say those three words and mean it more than any other couple in this goddamn world—no—_universe_."

Before Riku could take another breath of air, Sora wrapped his arms tightly around Riku and pulled him into a tight embrace.

"That's why I have these feelings for you," Sora whispered gently into Riku's ear. "I am so glad to be called yours."

"It's not as amazing as to be able to call you mine," Riku hugged his new boyfriend tightly.

The two laid there for the entire afternoon, talking about their day, Riku talking about his first day of school and Sora talking about how lost he was in his classes. They laughed and held hands, smiling and forgetting everything and everyone else in the world.

Their hearts had once been alone, but now they were alone together, filling the void that was destroying their hearts inside-out.

X X X X X

Not as much fluff as I planned, sorry!!

But if you read the fanfic my friend and I wrote, there will be TONS and TONS of it:D

So go look up Diru x Girls and go read and review.

AND PLEASE REVIEW THIS TOO:D

Your reviews and inputs are SO greatly appreciated.

All of you are amazing and I'm so glad that you guys review.  
I could not have asked for more amazing, nice people to review :3

MUCH LOVE & UNTIL CHAPTER TEN!!!

-- Allie

PS: The song Riku sings is copywrited to The Pink Spiders. The name of the song is 'Secret Song'. It's a really cute song that I'm really fond of ( and all their other songs! ) I know they're kind of main-stream right now but when I read their lyrics online I had to get it. Well, all in all, they're a really good band and I'm glad they're doing well :D I'll shut up now. BYES & THANKS AGAIN:D


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter TEN is here:D  
Call me weird but it makes me excited to say that xD

I posted this quickly cause I was home sick today.

Yay sickness (complete sarcasm)  
Well, for you guys at least.  
Cause that means ANOTHER chapter in …uhm. FAST TIME!

YAY :D

If you guys have any free time, please go check out my other account.  
My friend Jessy and I work on stories there.

Diru x Girls

Check it out, maybe, please? D:

THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO REVIWED!  
**anonymous reviewer **(please leave your name next time you review so I can thank you more personally :D)

Arika-of-the-Demons 

**echo-waters**

**FantasyFanatic1**

**Court12**

**Someday Eternity**

**Pixaldust**

**Riku-Rocks**

**starry-nights88**

**AnimeChild15**

**ManicAngel8**

**HaruhiKana**

**angel-yuripa**

**xXHyperKittenXx**

**dead edged blade**

You guys are really amazing :D  
Thank you TONS and TONS and TONS!

A couple of you have asked questions.  
So, here are the answers:

**AnimeChild15**—I think everyone gets a little bit embarrassed, yeah? Especially since my best friend is reading this, I'm kind of embarrassed. But I know that when I write whatever I write, I do my best to make it from my heart, as mushy and stupid as that sounds. So I just write it however I feel it is good, and that is that. Sorry for rambling xD

**FantasyFanatic1**—In all seriousness, I have to agree with you. In real life people don't always rush into things unless they're sluts or…just like that (I have a friend that's always in bed with someone new). But I'm glad you pointed that out :D Cause that's not really what happens in real life, not from personal experience, but just from friend's experiences.

Thanks again to EVERYONE!

You guys are more amazing then the thought of hugging a real-life Riku! XD!

PS: I'm gonna try to make this about TEN pages of writing, not including other stuff :D So uhm, it'll be around thirteen or fourteen pages in total.

&here's the point where you all moan & groan for me to shut up….so…

I PRESENT YOU WITH CHAPTER TEN:D

( still happy to say that! XD )

X X X X X

Fake A Smile 

Chapter Ten

It was a warm evening; summer still lingering in the air but the thoughts of fall coming closer was clearly present. The sun had just begun to descend into the ground, wakening night-time with the moon for light. Several vibrant colors stretched across the sky, looking more like a painting done by a miraculous artist rather than the soon-to-be evening sky.

A mix of orange and reds blended together, creating this breath-taking view of the sunset. Clouds were scattered across the sky, adding a shade of purple to the sunset from their coloration from the sunset. Within that purple was a soft, pastel blue, creeping its way in between the purple-shaded clouds to add pure perfection to the sky.

Of course there were always beautiful sunsets like these on Destiny Islands, but they were even more exquisite when shared with the person you had dear feelings for.

In this case, it was Axel and his feelings for Roxas. There was no doubt that he knew his feelings for Roxas were extremely obvious, but watching his friend's reactions to how he played with him were too amusing for words.

Axel held his emerald eyes on the sunset. He was drowning in the warmth and beauty of it all, his heart swelling as Roxas was sharing this with him.

In one way or another.

"Axel, are you going to do any of the work?" a whine came from the brunette.

There was no response from Axel; the brunette knew he was purposely ignoring him.

"Axel," he tried again, to get no response.

"Axel," a third time he tried. Why did he bother? He already knew there was only one thing to get the complete attention of Axel.

"I want you to fuck me," Roxas laid himself down on the floor in front of Axel, giving his most sexual look.

Axel's eyes and head shot over to boy sprawled out on the floor in front of him.

The brunette definitely had his friend's attention now.

"So, are you going to listen to me now?"

"Maybe," Axel forced himself to look outside the window once again, trying his best to concentrate on sunset outside his bedroom window.

"Come on, Axel," Roxas now sat up from his position on the floor. "We have to finish this project."

"You already did most of it," Axel now turned his eyes, and attention onto Roxas.

"I printed out the poems, now we just have to make the poster."

"Fine," Axel sat up from where he was and found a new seat just a few inches behind Roxas. "Now, we need the scissors," he leaned onto Roxas's back, reaching over him for the scissors.

Roxas just sat there, glad that Axel could not see his blushed cheeks.

"And we need to cut out the poem," Axel brushed cheek on the younger male's neck as he cut the paper, making a neat square.

"And now we have to glue it down," the red-head reached for the glue, twisting it open slowly. Roxas was watching his every move. Axel squeezed on the bottle with his hands, thrusting his hips into Roxas's lower back, getting a moan in return. As he pressed his hip as far into Roxas's back he squeezed tighter on the bottle, some of the glue squirting out and falling onto the cut-out paper. "Isn't that just orgasmic?" Axel whispered lustfully into Roxas's ear, putting the glue-covered paper onto the poster.

Finished with that, he put the glue down and moved back to his seat on the side of Roxas. "I think I've done my work here," he said, winking at the brunette.

X X X X X

Maiko unlocked the door to the house and stepped in. She closed the door behind her, humming softly as she did so. Her curly chocolate-colored hair bounced softly against her shoulders as she carefully took off her shoes and pushed them against the wall with her feet.

She opened her mouth to speak out, but was cut from doing so when a loud laugh was heard through the house, followed by "RIKU!" be shouted in between fits of laughter.

"Is that Sora?" Maiko made her way to the stairs, following the sound of the laugh.

"STOP IT!" another scream came in between the laughter. "RIKU!"

Maiko quietly made her way to Sora's half-open bedroom door. She peered through the door, hiding against the wall and only sticking her nose and eyes into the open space.

What she saw was something she could never imagine happening.

There was Sora, her beloved son, lying on the floor with Riku on top of him.

….In a playful manner, that is. (PERVS! Kidding, kidding! I'd probably do the same XD)

Sora was squirming about under the silver-haired male that had his knees pinned down on either side of Sora's hips, sitting himself on Sora's stomach. His hands were traveling up and down Sora's sides and underarms, tickling him everywhere his hands could get.

"AH! RIKU!" Sora squirmed around more, kicking his legs up and down.

A large smile was now on Maiko's face. She had never heard Sora laugh like this before, it was truly a wonderful sight for her. His laughter was warm and loud, echoing through the house like a soft tune.

"That's what you get for being too cute!" Riku playfully said as he found a new ticklish spot on Sora's side.

"AH! I CAN'T BREATHE!"

Maiko began to laugh herself, startling the two boys.

Riku immediately jumped off his friend. "Mrs. Murakimi!"

"It's alright, Riku-chan," Maiko stepped into the room.

"Okaa-san!" Sora sat up, holding onto his sides for protection from the tickling-demon Riku. "Welcome home!" he greeted her with a huge smile.

"Sora-chan," she smiled. "I haven't heard you laugh like that since…_ever_!"

"Oh, was I too loud?" the boy's smile lowered.

"Heaven's, no!" she walked over to her son and kneeled down next to him. Her arms embraced him and pulled the boy tightly to her. "I just never knew you could laugh like that, my dear Sora."

"What are you talking about?"

She let go and smiled lovingly at her son. "You're just such a good son to me." Turning, she faced Riku, her smile still big as ever. "And you," she started. "You are truly an amazing friend. Thank you for always bring laughter and happiness in this house-hold."

"Uhm…'kaa-san?" Sora looked over at Riku, who nodded gently.

"Yes, dear?"

"I need to tell you…" he lowered his head.

"What's wrong, Sora?" her hand gently stroked her son's cheek. "What is it?" her voice was full of concern; what happened to bring an abrupt stop to his joy?

"Riku and I…" he started.

"You…" she tried to coax it out of him.

"You'll love me no matter what I am…right, 'kaa-san?" his blue eyes looked up into her hazel ones, worry clearly present in them.

"Of course, Sora!" she exclaimed. "I will always love you. You are my son, and whatever you are and whatever choices you make through life I will always be here for you."

"I like Riku, 'kaa-san."

"Of course, you two are best friends."

"No," Sora averted his eyes to Riku's. "Riku and I are…going out…" he mumbled, but loud enough for Maiko to hear.

"Sora," she hugged her son tightly.

"I'm gay, mom. I'm not normal…"

"Sora, I don't care if you're gay or straight. As long as you are happy, I am happy."

"R-really?" the boy looked up to his mother.

"Of course!" she smiled at her son. "How could a mother not love her son?"

Riku lowered his head in sadness; he knew it was possible for a mother to not love their son, adopted or not adopted.

Sora could feel that Riku was in pain, so he smiled over at him. The silver-haired male could not help but smile back. None of that could bother him now, he had Sora now.

"And you, Riku," Maiko cut into his thoughts. "You be good to my boy, is what I would say but I already know that no one can make him happier."

Riku could not help but smile at this. "The same goes for me."

"Good," Maiko stood up. "And where is your brother in this time of joy?"

"He's at Axel's," Sora smiled.

"Ah," Maiko laughed. "Maybe they will finally confess their feelings to each other. Anyway, I'll go start dinner. Why don't you two go rent a movie for after dinner?"

"NOT ANOTHER HORROR MOVIE!" Sora blurted out.

Maiko and Riku laughed at this, as Sora shot them both a glare.

"Don't worry, we'll just get you a Sesame Street DVD then, Sora," Riku teased his boyfriend.

That began a playful fight between the two, and was also Maiko's cue to go start dinner.

X X X X X

It had been three weeks since that evening, and September had already begun. Sora was sitting in his bedroom working on his geometry homework, something else about proofs and theorems.

And something else Sora did not understand at all.

Riku was sitting next to him on the bed, reading a book he picked up at the store the other day. He was half-way done with it, and had only started it that morning.

"I GIVE UP!" Sora threw his textbook to the floor. "Math is pointless!"

Riku turned his head to Sora. "Then let me help you," he offered, closing his book and sitting it to the side next to him.

"No, I'll just fail it as always," the brunette mumbled.

"Come on, Sora," Riku bent over and picked up the textbook from the floor. "What chapter are you on?"

"One," Sora embarrassingly mumbled.

"Uh huh," Riku flipped to the first chapter. "So you're in intermediate geometry?"

"S-shut up!" Sora turned his head away from Riku to hide his blush.

"Don't worry about it, I'll help you."

"I do worry!" Sora embraced his knees tightly. "I'm stupid, I'm in all low classes and I can _barely_ pass them! It's been the same since I was young. You're in all honor and AP classes while I'm dumb, retarded, stupid, I have no brain—"

"Hey," Riku interjected him. "You're none of those things."

"How do you know?"

"Who knows you like I do?" Riku wrapped his arm around Sora's shoulder and pulled him closer. "Come on, you'll understand it after I show you. Okay?"

"Okay," Sora admitted defeat.

"Alright, let's start here with…" he looked down at the page. "Converses."

"…."

"Do you know what a converse is, Sora?"

"…."

Riku bit his lip gently. "That's okay. Here," he pointed at the page and read the definition to Sora, who listened to every word. Riku then read the other definitions to Sora and explained the differences in each one. He then went into explanations on how to use them and how to identify what.

At this point, Sora's head was completely leaning on Riku's shoulder. It had been a long day for him; swim practice ran for nearly three hours today. Then he came home to eat dinner with Roxas and his mother, and then Riku came over shortly afterward to keep Sora company while he did homework. It was now half-past midnight, and Sora was still not finished with his homework.

But now Riku's soft voice was lulling him off to sleep. He did not want to fall asleep, but he could not help it; he was beyond exhausted and Riku was just so warm.

"Sora?"

"Mmmmph?" Sora mumbled incoherently.

"You tired?"

"Mynah," the brunette mumbled once-again.

"I'll take that as a yes," Riku closed the book and tossed it onto the floor. "Let's go to bed, then."

Riku placed Sora on his lap, his head still lying on his shoulder. He then moved backwards and kicked the sheets off so he could put Sora underneath him. As he tried to put Sora on the bed and stand up, Sora pulled on Riku's hand gently.

"Won't you stay with me?" he opened his blue eyes slightly. "Please?"

A smile escaped from Riku's lips. "How can I say no to your pretty face?"

"Yay," Sora whispered, too excited to even say the one-syllable word.

Riku pulled up the covers and slid himself inside them, moving himself closer to the half-asleep brunette. He pulled the covers up over him and Sora before turning off the light on the nightstand behind the headboard of the bed.

"Ri-kun," Sora whispered as he moved his body closer to Riku.

Riku loosely placed his arm around Sora's waist. "What is it, Sora?" he whispered.

"Sing me that song again?"

"What song, Sora-kun?"

"You know," Sora leaned his head into the crook of Riku's neck and took a hold of Riku's shirt, gently holding onto it. "The song you sang in the car."

"Oh," Riku remembered. "I'm a terrible singer, though."

"I don't care if anyone says you're the worst. I just like to hear your voice," Sora spoke, cuddling even closer to his boyfriend.

"Fine," Riku sighed in defeat. "If it makes you happy."

A smile graced Sora's lips and he closed his eyes. "Thank you, Ri-kun."

Riku began to sing the song in a soft melody in his best voice. "If you're alone and I'm alone, let's be alone together."

Even though it was not the best voice ever, it was soothing and loving; Sora could hear all the love Riku put into it as he softly sang the brunette to sleep.

"We can have a drink, and shoot the shit, and talk about the weather," Riku now closed his eyes before singing the next verse. "Cause baby I know this world has got you shaking in your shoes," he softly sang.

Riku pulled Sora closer to him, kissing Sora's head gently as he sang the last few lines of the song.

"So if you're alone and I'm alone why don't we be alone together?"

The two lay there, Riku's arm lovingly wrapped around Sora's waist, and Sora's hands holding onto Riku's shirt. It was warm and peaceful where they slept, something to definitely take away both of their fears and worries.

X X X X X

The next morning, Riku woke up to the sound of laughter and the slam of the door. Stirring to get up and see what was causing this noise, Riku managed to open his heavy eyelids. He first noticed that he could not move.

Two arms were tightly clinging onto him, with two legs wrapped around his legs, tangled together and tightly locked.

"Too cute," Riku smiled and kissed Sora's forehead gently. He turned his head upwards towards the nightstand. He read the time on the clock, which read two minutes pass seven. "Guess we have to get up."

With that said, Riku managed to get his arm out of Sora's grasp. His fingers traced down Sora's cheek bone and then traced over the soft features of his face.

"Sora-kun," he whispered.

No response from the sleeping brunette.

"Soraaaa," he sang out. "It's time to wake up."

"I don't want…" Sora mumbled. "I don't want to eat the shoes, Riku."

Riku stared at his boyfriend.

"Don't make meeee," Sora whined in his sleep.

Riku burst out into laughter, ruffling Sora's spiky-brown hair. "You kill me, Sora!" he said before falling into another fit of laughter.

A mumbling-moan came from Sora as he opened his eyes. "What's so funny?" he asked as he yawned.

"You talking in your sleep," Riku smiled, trying his best not to laugh again.

"What did I say?"

"'I don't want to eat the shoes, Riku!'" Riku mimicked Sora in a high-pitched voice.

"No I didn't!"

"Oh, yes you did," Riku laughed once again. "Then," Riku flipped Sora down and lay on top of him. "You begged me not to tackle you as I'm doing now."

"R-Ri-kun!"

"Do you know what you said next?"

Sora shook his head from side to side.

"You asked me to eat you up," Riku purred with a wink.

"I would never say that!" Sora's face turned brick-red.

"Oh, don't deny it," Riku bent his head low to hang just above Sora's. "You know you would love it."

Giving up, Sora looked deep into Riku's eyes. "Okay," he mumbled. "Maybe…a little."

"Oh, you pervert!" Riku sat up, folding his arms over his chest. "You're so _dirty_ Sora!"

"Hey!" Sora sat up as well. "You talked me into saying that!"

Riku stared at Sora's face as he pouted, his eyebrows furrowing in deeper to his eyelids and his lips frowning more and more with each passing second.

A small, wicked smile grew on his lips. "Gotcha," he whispered before linking his lips with Sora's.

"Mmph!" Sora fell backwards to the bed as Riku pushed his lips harder onto Sora's.

Then, a loud CLICK was heard.

The two boys jumped up and threw their heads to the left, to see Roxas standing in the doorframe of the door that was connected the twins' bedrooms.

"Roxas!" Sora blushed. "What are you doing?"

Roxas held up the Polaroid camera in his hand, which dropped a picture from its printer. "Just taking a picture for you," he smiled. "I have a small collection, now."

Riku sat up and moved himself off the bed. "Let me see," he grabbed the Polaroid's in Roxas's hand. He looked through the pictures and then looked up at Roxas.

"You sneaky bastard," Riku laughed.

"That's me!" he cheerfully said with a smile.

"Well, I'll just keep these safe," Riku placed them in his pocket.

"Normally I'd ask for money," Roxas looked over at his brother quickly. "But that one would never stop whining and crying until I handed them over."

"Hey!" Sora pouted once again.

Roxas smiled at his brother. "Well, 'kaa-san left an hour ago for work, so I'm cooking breakfast today. It'll be ready in twenty minutes, so come down before it gets too cold, okay?"

"Okay," Riku and Sora said in unison.

X X X X X

"Hey, Sora?" Riku called out to Sora, who was currently in his closet.

"Yeah?"

"Can I just borrow your clothes today? I have my bag in my car and my keys in my pocket, but I don't feel like walking over to change."

Sora popped out of his closet. "Sure. Just pick out whatever you like, okay?"

"Thanks," Riku stood up off the bed.

"Uh huh," Sora said before going back into his closet, rummaging through things to find what he wanted to wear for the day.

Riku walked over to the dresser by the door leading into the room and opened the first drawer to find Sora's boxers. He stared at them at first, and then looked back at the closet where Sora was still fighting his way through. Then back at the boxers.

'This should be good,' Riku smirked as he looked through the drawer. He found what he wanted and put it on top of the pile of boxers. He took off his tight jeans and threw them to the side, doing the same with his boxers and shirt.

Riku then grabbed the boxers he selected and put them on. They were tight on him, his body slightly larger and more muscular than Sora's, though Sora was on the swim team.

After putting them on, Riku pulled them down slightly in the front so they barely covered his lower region. Throwing on a huge smirk on his face, he walked to the other side of the room, standing about five feet away from where Sora was still buried inside his closet.

"Oh, So—ra!" Riku extended the syllables in his boyfriend's name.

Sora began to turn around, "Wh—" he stumbled over his words, his mouth wide open as he stared at Riku, who stood five feet in front of him. Riku only wore one of Sora's favorite pairs of boxers, all black with hearts going down the outer side of the legs, fading from a deep pink to a soft-peachy pink.

And Riku looked damn sexy in them.

Especially since they were pulled down extremely, extremely, _extremely_ low, right where Sora's blue eyes stared at.

"What do you think?" Riku held his hand on his hip and leaned his weight on the opposite foot. He turned to the side a bit, his eyes still on Sora, doing everything he could think about to look drop-dead gorgeous and sexy. "Do they look good on me?"

Sora gulped as his eyes were still fixated on the…'spot'.

"Yeah," he finally b blurted out.

"That's all?" Riku pouted a bit. "You're not gonna tell me anything else?"

"Uhhh…."

"Guess I'll just have to take them off," Riku smiled seductively at the brunette.

"THEY LOOK HOT DAMN SEXY ON YOU!" Sora screamed as loud as his voice would allow him before jumping back into the shelter of his closet.

X X X X X

Roxas stood over the stove, peering at the pancakes that were cooking on the stove. The male had the flame on low, in hopes that this would prevent him from burning the pancakes as he did on a regular basis.

It was something him and Sora were extremely good at.

The first time they ever made pancakes was when they were seven years old. They had decided to make breakfast for their new mother after the wonderful birthday surprise and presents she gave them a few months before. Roxas decided to try pancakes, knowing their mother liked it, and it was then decided upon to make eggs, coffee, and the only other thing all kids know how to make: oatmeal.

Things went well that morning, Roxas and Sora had the coffee pot going and the eggs and oatmeal ready, they just decided to make the pancakes first. Turning on the stove was not the hard part, it was flipping it and being able to get it back on the pot was another story.

All in all, most, if not all, the pancakes were pitch-black burnt, crispier than any other food they have had before, but they put it on a huge plate.

It was a good memory, especially when Maiko made herself eat all the pancakes, and Sora began to cry out of guilt.

A soft laughter escaped from Roxas as he remembered how hard Sora cried, as he almost choked on his own tears and sobs. It was also the last time that Sora cried in front of anyone else. After that day, Sora promised to Roxas that he would stop making people worry and would never cry in the open.

It hurt Roxas tremendously that his brother would put himself through that pain, but he knew that when Sora was hurting, he always came to his brother to hold his hand.

And then the smell of burning pancakes drowned out all of Roxas's senses.

Hurriedly, Roxas flipped the pancake with the spatula, managing to flip it without the pancake flying to God-knows-where in the kitchen. It was only slightly burnt, in Roxas and Sora terms, that is.

Then, a loud scream was heard from upstairs.

"THEY LOOK HOT DAMN SEXY ON YOU!" rang throughout the house, making Roxas jump up from the sudden shout.

"What the…?" Roxas stared out of the kitchen to the stairs with questioning eyes.

X X X X X

Riku sat in his car, a huge grin still on his face from before, when Sora, very loudly, said he looked 'hot damn sexy' in his boxers. Of course he was wearing more clothing now, he was wearing a pair of Sora's black pants with scattered chains and studs. The pants were extremely tight on him; they must have been a size zero in girls, or less!

He had not realized how thin Sora's frame was until he wore his pants. He could barely stand sitting down; the pants were pulling tightly into his crotch and he just wanted to rip it open so he could _breathe_ down there.

But he knew Sora liked the tight pants, he noticed Sora staring at his bottom all morning. He was so distracted by it he forgot to walk around the car to the passenger side and instead walked into Riku when he stopped in front of the door to the driver's seat. Also the fact that Riku was wearing an extremely tight shirt that cut off about a centimeter below his bellybutton, showing nearly three inches of his stomach, and waist from the pants being low.

Riku glanced over at Sora, who was still pouting a little bit.

"You really can be too cute sometimes, Sora."

"Just because I call you 'hot damn sexy', huh?"

Again Riku laughed at the memory. "Not just that."

"Then what?" Sora slightly glared at his boyfriend.

"Just…everything you do. Like that pout," he slowly braked to a red light and smiled over at the brunette. "I can't say no to anything with an adorable pout like that."

A light bulb seemed to pop up above Sora's head. "Will you stay after school with me for swim practice?" he questioned, keeping his pout as he did so.

"Of course," Riku smiled.

"Eveeeeery day?" Sora said in a cute, pouty voice.

"If that will make you happy," Riku said as he accelerated as the light turned green.

Sora smiled a small smile. Swim practice was going to be pretty damn amazing today.

X X X X X

"Riku!" a voice called out.

Riku turned around to see a red-head waving his arm wildly at him. "Axel!" he smiled and waved back. He waited for the male to walk up to him and then they walked to their first period class, gym, together.

The two began to talk about gym class, which sparked their new, close friendship with one another. Every morning was the same for them, they met up at gym and changed in the locker room, then they went outside and sat in their seats. Somehow they got luck to sit next to each other, not knowing how, but they gladly accepted it.

"So, how's the hot damn sexy?" Axel asked as he put his bag down in front of his locker in the boy's changing room.

Riku laughed at that for what seemed the millionth time that morning. "I guess Roxas told you, huh?"

"Yeah," Axel began to change into his gym shorts. "I nearly peed myself at that!"

"You would have if you had seen his reaction after saying it."

"_Please_ tell me you caught that on tape!" Axel laughed as he put on his shirt.

"I wish," Riku was working on tying his sneakers. "Too bad you can't record with your memory, huh?"

"Yeah. Think about all the shit we'd get Kairi in!" he grinned.

X X X X X

Meanwhile…

Sora was in his first period class with his friend Yuffie. The teacher was going on about the homework, which Sora only got half-way through. He was beginning to fall asleep as the teacher went on about converses, except the teacher was Sora's beloved Riku.

His Riku who sang him to sleep, who helped him in math and helped him understand what he was actually doing, who took him out four in the morning to get ice cream even though he woke him up.

The Riku that loved and adored him and made him happier than any other damn boy—no, _person_ in this entire world.

He just wanted to get out of this boring lecture, where he swore on his life his teacher had no bloody idea what he was saying.

Yuffie, who was sitting one row and one behind him, folded up a piece of paper into a triangle and flung it onto her friend's desk when the teacher was not looking.

Sora opened up the paper underneath his desk and read the note.

'Do you understand what the hell is going on?'

Sora lifted his pencil and quickly jotted down a response before folding it up. When the teacher walked to the other side of the room, he threw it backwards. Yuffie, who took several martial arts classes, swiftly caught it and pulled it to her before the teacher could take half a step over.

She then quickly opened the note and read it in a speedy glace.

'Do I ever understand math?'

Yuffie did her best to hold in her laughter; it _was_ true. Sora never knew what was going on in _any_ of his classes!

"Miss Kisaragi!" the teacher called out. "Is there something funny about the lesson?"

"No, sir," Yuffie sat up, her face blank of emotion.

"Then why are you laughing?"

"I almost fell out of my seat!" she smiled widely.

"What a tragedy," he said with sarcasm. "Now be quiet or I'll kick you out. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good."

The teacher went back to his boring lecture, the students restlessly waiting for the bell to ring, knowing they had nearly ten minutes left.

Yuffie ran her pencil across the paper with a response and folded it back into a triangle. Once again she waited for the teacher to turn the other way and passed it back to Sora.

Opening it under the table, Sora kept his eyes on the teacher, who gave a suspicious look to him. Luckily, the teacher faced toward the other side of the room, giving Sora time to read the note.

'Maybe I should fall out of my chair for real and you can take me down to the office. Sound like a plan?'

Sora looked up to see the teacher staring directly at him. Sora smiled at him, and the teacher glared back.

"What was I just saying, Mister Murakimi?"

"Uhm," Sora averted his eyes to the chalkboard. He quickly read over the last part of the notes, and then reading them.

The teacher slightly growled and turned away from Sora.

Sighing, Sora quickly wrote a reply and threw it back to Yuffie.

'We only have five minutes left. Tomorrow, definitely.'

Yuffie wrote a response and threw it back to Sora, who hid it under his desk a split second before the teacher looked over.

"And you two wonder why you two are in the lowest course possible for geometry," he glared at the two students, as the rest of the class stifled back their laughter.

He continued with his lecture and Sora read the note.

'Okay. It's a plan. :D I'll send you a note before I do it. No more note-throwing I think he's onto us.'

Sora nodded and placed the note into his pocket. Math class will be fun tomorrow, but swim practice definitely would top it off.

X X X X X

The second period bell rang, and all the students rose from their desks, piling out of the classroom. Leon was the last to be out, but he did not mind. His day had started out slow, but he liked when days were nice and slow. He could do things one at a time, and he was in no rush for what he was planning for this weekend.

'Only five more days,' he thought.

He walked down the hall and made his way towards the gym. He saw a familiar boy and called out to him.

"Hey, Demyx!"

The called-out boy turned around and grinned at his friend. "Leon!" he smiled at his friend. Leon caught up with his friend, shifting his books to his other hand as he did so.

"So how's the planning coming out?"

"Eh," Leon shrugged.

"I still can't believe Cloud is going to be turning twenty!" Demyx's smile grew.

"Yeah," Leon pushed a lock of hair from his eyes.

"So where are you having the party?"

"Didn't I already tell you?" Leon peered over at his friend.

"No, I never got the invitation."

"Huh. Thought I told you," Leon shrugged it off. "Well, it's going to be at Sora's house. Cloud thinks he's going over to bake a cake with Maiko and Sora. So be there at three o'clock."

"Okay!" Demyx cheerfully said.

"Maiko is picking Cloud up from the train station at six-fifteen."

"Then why are we showing up at three?"

"To decorate," Leon pushed open the door to the gymnasium building.

"OH! Can I blow up the balloons?" he jumped up and down like a child asking for a toy.

"Whatever shuts you up."

"YAY!" Demyx lifted his hands up into the air.

The two proceeded to the locker room, Demyx going on about how nice it would be that Cloud will be home for the first time in a month and how much he missed him.

Secretly, deep down, Leon had missed Cloud more than anyone else.

X X X X X

( So I was going to end it here, butttt….I thought I'd make this chapter EXTRA long cause you guys have been so amazing :D! )

The bell rang, signaling that it was fifth period, which meant lunch time for Sora, Roxas, and most of their friends.

Tidus and Wakka were the first ones to enter the lunch room of the group of friend. They had the same class the period before and were working on a project, so did not need any books for fourth period, as well as their classes afterwards.

The two were talking about their up-coming Blitz-ball game, laughing and teasing each other as they always did.

Wakka slid his arm around Tidus and pulled him close as they came to their table. "We'll win this one, bruddah!" he hugged the blonde closer to him. "With you in this game, there's no way we can lose!"

Tidus laughed and hugged Wakka back. "It's cause I'm so amazing!" he grinned, taking a seat at the table. Wakka still had his arm around Tidus, loosely, but enough to get blonde's attention.

"Why are you so clingy today, Wakka?"

"Want me to let go?"

"No," Tidus leaned in closer to his friend. "I want to stay here forever."

Wakka looked deeply into Tidus's aqua-blue eyes. "Forever, yeah?"

"Forever," Tidus whispered as he pulled on the collar of Wakka's shirt. He closed the distance between their lips with his own.

"Tidus," Wakka whispered, closing his eyes and moaning softly as Tidus nipped at his lips. The blonde licked across Wakka's lips, pressing his body closer to the red-head's.

"Sorry to interrupt, but just want to let you know that the entire lunch room is watching."

The two boys separated, soft blushes covering their cheeks.

Axel smiled as he sat down next to Tidus. "So, how was your make-out session, hmm?" his elbow was leaning up on the table, his head propped up on his hand.

"Better than that night with you," Tidus smirked.

Roxas sat next to Axel, his head bent low.

"Oh, harsh!" Axel laughed loudly. "You can be a real bastard, you know!"

"Well, at least I'm not cocky like you."

"What are you talking about? I could not have been _that_ bad!"

"You were worse than a dead person, Axel."

Riku sat across from Axel, with Sora across from Roxas. He noticed the sad look in Roxas's eyes and kicked Axel under the table.

"OW!" Axel pulled his knees up from the table. "The hell was that for!?" he glared at Riku.

Riku just tilted his head over towards where Roxas was sitting, his head bent low and his hair covering his face. Axel looked over and his face immediately grew with anguish.

"Roxas baby," Axel turned his body to face the bent-over brunette. He wrapped his legs around Roxas's small frame and laid them on the empty chair next to Roxas. His arms tightly embraced Roxas's body to his own. "Roxas baby that was a long time ago."

"But you knew I had feelings for you back then…"

"I didn't know your feelings for me were that serious back then."

"Well, they were!" tears swelled up in Roxas's eyes and his body began to shake.

"Roxas baby…"

"Stop calling me that!" his body was now beyond control, shaking profusely. "I've liked you since I met you six years ago. And three years later, even though you knew I had feelings for you, you went out with Cloud. It wasn't serious at first, but then a year later you guys just fucked each other like it was nothing! No reason and you guys just split up as if nothing had happened!"

"Roxas," Axel stroked the brunette's soft, smooth hair.

"Axel, please… all you ever do is torture me with mixed feelings, if I can even call them that," Roxas picked up his head and looked into Axel's eyes. "Am I just a toy to you? What am I in your life, Axel?"

Axel looked deeply into Roxas's eyes before withdrawing his legs and letting go of Roxas. He stood up and picked up Roxas in his left arm, and gently placed him onto the floor. "We need to talk…" he peered over at the group of friends that were staring at them. "…In private."

The red-head grabbed Roxas's hand and entwined his fingers with the brunette's before running out of the cafeteria with Roxas holding tightly onto his hand.

Riku, Sora, Tidus, Wakka, Leon, Demyx and some other students staring as the couple ran out of the cafeteria hand-in-hand.

Demyx turned his head over to Leon who was sitting next to him. "You know what's going to happen next, don't you?"

"…They're going to have sex in the bathroom?"

Demyx laughed at Leon's response. "That's a possibility, but…" Demyx smiled slyly at his friend. "Riku and Sora got together a week ago, Tidus and Wakka are a couple, Axel and Roxas are now together…"

"You're going to get a new fuck buddy?"

"No!" Demyx groaned.

"It means," Demyx started. "You will finally be the official boyfriend of Mister Cloud Strife."

Leon raised his hand and whapped Demyx over the head, leaving Demyx to whimper and hold his head as he cried and complained.

But Leon knew damn well what he had planned for the weekend.

X X X X X

**SEVENTEEN AND A HALF PAGES :D**

Not including the beginning note & this end note.

So it took me a long time to write this today, thanks to me getting easily distracted :3

But I'm happy to have it done at….11:36 PM.

YAY:D

PLEASE REVIEW IF YOU HAVE READ!

But you guys always do.

Cause you're so damn AMAZING:D

Hearts and cookies and plushies and candy and free Sora x Riku yaoi pictures to you all:D

**ALSO!!!!  
It would be TREMENDOUSLY appreciated if you went to my other account and read the story my friend Jessy and I are working on :D**

**The account name is Diru x Girls**

**&the link is on my profile if you're too lazy to do a search XD**

**We only have one chapter up but we're working on two and three.**

**PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE look at that.**

**We spent a week planning the first chapter out and making a short summary of the entire story.**

**We're working really hard on it and it would be GREATLY appreciated if you read & review it!**

AGAIN! MUCH LOVE AND THANK YOU GUYS!

I'm off to bed, so goodnight ( or good morning / good afternoon depending on when you read this!)

Much love & thanks!!!

--AllieFace


	11. Chapter 11

After writing so much for chapter ten I decided to try to do that with the rest of my chapters, as best as I can. Soooo….if I take a few days longer than usual, that's why. xD

But I'm going to try to type a little every day rather than cram it all in one night x3 Thank you everyone for reviewing though!

Sorry to say this again, but, please check out my other account?

Maybe you can read that story while waiting for a chapter twelve:D

I AM SO SORRY THAT THIS CHAPTER TOOK SO LONG TO WRITE!

Things have been so hectic this past month, but this story has been on my mind EVERY day!

And I am really sorry to take over a month to update.

But I extended this chapter and added extra bits and pieces to it so that there could be more to make up for my VERY delayed update.

THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED!

**xXHyperKittenXx**

**Pixaldust**

**YamiYukiSakuraXIII**

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**Undying lover**

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THANK YOU ALL AGAIN!!

I don't think I can thank you all enough for all your kind words! Much love and hearts to you all:3

Also, a note to **xXHyperKittenXx**: your dare will come up in another chapter VERY soon :D (coughchaptertwelvecoughcough)

OH!!!!!!!

And thanks to **JESSYBOO** for helping me find a quote :P

And for motivating me all through writing this chapter.  
So to everyone who's reading: be sure to thank Jessy as well for being the friend who gets me motivated to write :D

And whoever that lyric belongs to, I don't know but all rights reserved to you!

Also!  
Axel's ring-tone is proper of Dir en Grey.

So all ownership of the song 'Child Prey' goes to them.

OKAY ALLIE SHUT UP NOW!

ON WITH THE FIC :D

X X X X X

**Fake A Smile**

Chapter Eleven

The hallways were empty; all the students in their fifth period class. It seemed as if there were no students present in the school, the hallways sounded and looked so abandoned. Their plain shade of gray was a drowsy color, and it seemed lifeless in the school with no students walking through them.

That was, until, two boys with cherry red and soft dirty-blonde hair ran down the main hallway of the school building, continuing to do so until they came to the end of the school.

They ran up the staircase, jumping three stairs at a time, up two floors until they came to the top floor, where they took a sharp left to what seemed to be an extra five-foot area of random space in the building.

The red-head walked up to what appeared as a window covered with a metal door. He swung his leg backwards and then forcefully forwards, kicking the metal door-piece open. With that open, he nearly jumped into it and climbed through, the brunette following centimeters behind him.

The two crawled through a tunnel that was on a small incline upwards, crawling until they came to a small-wooden-framed window. In a hurry, the red-haired male pushed open the window, putting his legs out first to jump down onto floor.

Once he climbed out of the tunnel, he leaned his hand down the tunnel to where the brunette looked up at him with sad blue eyes. Hesitating at first, the brunette just laid there and stared at the hand offered out to him. He then slowly reached his hand out to it and allowed himself to be pulled out of the tunnel.

The red-head gently pulled him out, holding him under the shoulders to gently pull him all the way out of the tunnel. He did not let go, but continued to carry the brunette across the roof top until they came a few feet from the edge. At the edge of the roof, he let the boy he was carrying down.

He then sat down himself, his knees bent upwards and just inches off the ground and his feet stretched out. He patted at the empty space between his legs, looking directly into the brunette's soft blue eyes with his melancholy green ones.

Slowly, the brunette stood up and walked over to where Axel was sitting. He sat down in the open space between Axel's legs, facing him. Roxas put his legs up and embraced his knees tightly to his chest, his head slightly bent low.

"Roxas," Axel pushed himself closer and leaned his head down to where Roxas's hands covered his knees. Lovingly, he kissed Roxas's hands, one at a time. He covered Roxas's hand with his own and squeezed gently on them.

"Stop it," Roxas's voice began to break, but Axel just stroked his thumb across Roxas's fingers tenderly. "Am I that much fun to fuck with!?" he screamed, biting his lip to hold back the tears that wanted to pour out.

"Roxas baby," Axel whispered as he leaned his entire body against Roxas's. He pushed him backwards, and they fell down together, Axel's hand behind the brunette's head so he would not hurt himself while falling.

"I never meant to hurt you like that," Axel bent his head. "The truth is…I never wanted to get too close because I never wanted to hurt you or me..." Axel picked his head up and looked deeply into Roxas's eyes.

"Axel…"

"I've always loved you, Roxas!" Axel began to shake as tears covered his eyes and blocked his vision.

Roxas's eyes grew wide as tears fell onto his cheeks; he never knew it was possible for _Axel_ to cry.

"Believe me, I tried, and all I could do was tease you, and I knew that it would hurt you less. All my relationships have been terrible, all of them one-night stands and I don't want that anymore. I want to be with you but I don't want you to think I'm a sex fiend."

"Axel," Roxas sat up on his elbows. He tilted his head and pushed his lips on Axel's, pulling away just as soon as their lips touched. "I … don't know much about that, but," a blush formed on Roxas's face. "If you stay with me, I can deal with you being a sex fiend. And all the other problems you had with your past relationships. So please…give this a chance."

"Are you sure, Roxas?"

The brunette nodded slowly, and a smile grew on Axel's face. "Well, I hope you're ready, then."

"What?" Roxas furrowed his eyebrows and stared questioningly into Axel's green eyes.

"I've waited forever," Axel lowered his head to the brunette's neck. "Just to be able to have you under me like this," he licked at the base of Roxas's neck, and then licked up to his chin where he nibbled on the skin slightly.

"Aaaa—!" Roxas gasped.

"Roxas baby," Axel leaned his forehead on top of Roxas's. "Can I make you scream?"

X X X X X

"I'm betting the bathroom," Leon crossed his arms over his broad chest.

"Nah, they're totally using an empty classroom, 'mon," Wakka took a drink of his soda. "Right on the desk, yeah? Where it's cold and Roxas is shivering and Axel just holds him closer as he pounds into him."

Sora sat there with his eyes wide open as the group talked about his brother and Axel in vivid, sexual details.

"He's the type that secretly wants Axel fucking him against a bathroom stall."

"Nah," Wakka waved the statement away with his hand. "He's not like you, Leon. He'd want an empty classroom, to feel the cold desk below him as Axel's warm body and member fucks him hard."

Riku looked over at Sora, lowering his head to meet Sora's eye-level.

"You're all wrong!" Tidus cut into the argument. "Roxas is totally on his knees sucking on Axel's cocking in the English wing janitor's closet."

Wakka gave Tidus a sly smile. "What makes you think that?"

The whole group flashed their eyes towards Tidus, who just confusingly stared back at them.

"What?" Tidus finally asked.

"…." The group stayed quiet and continued to stare.

"Wow, I did not give Axel a blow job in the English wing's janitor closet."

"…."

"You just wish it was you and not Axel."

"HELL NO!" Everyone but Wakka shouted.

Then noticing that Wakka did not join the outburst, the group turned their attention to the red-head.

"….Okay, so maybe I want that a little, yeah?" he quietly confessed.

X X X X X

'Oh God,' Roxas thought to himself. He arched his back and moaned as Axel slowly butterfly kissed down his chest and stomach.

The red-haired male trailed his kisses to where Roxas's shirt stretched up from his arch, revealing his rather pale skin. There, Axel traced his hands where the edge of the shirt touched the pale-toned skin, pushing the shirt up to the brunette's chest as he reached his side.

The brunette's left side and stomach was revealed and Axel grazed his eyes over it. "Beautiful," he whispered, rising a blush from the brunette he continued to stare at.

"Axel," Roxas moaned as Axel licked the outside of the smaller male's belly button, nibbling at the soft skin as he did so. The red-haired male then kissed his way down to the button and zipper that clasped Roxas's jeans closed. A short-breathed gasp escaped from Roxas which turned into a moan as Axel kissed the swollen ache in Roxas's tight-fitting jeans.

"What's this?" Axel spoke in a husky voice as his hand ran up the brunette's leg, finding its way around Roxas's slim hip. "I might have to take care of this _problem_ you have, Roxas baby."

Another gasp came from Roxas; the male on top had lightly grazed over Roxas's hardened member. A moan of pleasure and a slight thrust of his hips from Roxas made Axel grin widely.

"Can I fix that for you, Roxas baby?"

"Ahh—!"

Axel bit down gently at Roxas's "problem".

"I need an answer, Roxas baby," Axel's voice was deep and adding more excitement to Roxas.

"A-aaahxel!"

"Roxas baby," Axel loosely wrapped his long, slim fingers into the insides of the brunette's jeans, rubbing his fingers against the elastic strand of his boxers.

Roxas moaned out his reply, inaudible by the red-head.

"What was that?"

"Pl…Please!" Roxas gasped.

"Please…what?" Axel flashed his eyes up at Roxas.

"Uhhhn," Roxas moaned, unable to say any words clearly.

Axel began to slowly pull his fingers out of Roxas's boxers. "If you want me to continue you have to _ask_ for it."

"Please," Roxas raised his hips higher, begging for a release from the pain in his pants, which grew tighter and tighter with each passing second.

"And what do you want me to do to fix your problem?"

"Anything," Roxas was biting down on his lip. He needed release…**now**.

A smirk grew on Axel's lips and he slid his hand to the back of Roxas's bare hip. "I won't make your first time on a school roof, but I can think of something that's satisfying."

"Do what you want," Roxas managed to say in between gasps and moans from Axel stroking at his hardened member which still had his cotton boxers over.

"Are you sure?"

"Ah—!"

"What was that?" Axel's smirk grew from Roxas's reaction when he blew his breath on his half-bare stomach.

"Yes," Roxas moaned. "My body is yours."

Axel laughed for merely a second before lowering his head to the smaller-male's zipper, a huge smirk still worn on his face. Axel's long fingers found their way to Roxas's zipper and began to slowly unzip his pants. Roxas moaned gruffly; the slow vibration of the zipper on his erection sent a _very_ pleasurable feeling through his body.

With the boy's pants unzipped, and Roxas's hips bucked all the way up from the arousing feelings, Axel pulled down the slightly-tight pants off Roxas's waist. His hip raised, Roxas's boxers had lingered over his painful arousal, as well as revealing his slim, pale legs.

But Axel could not stop there and admire the view of Roxas bucking and moaning from his touches—he had to see more, touch more; _feel_ more.

Axel's hands snaked their way to the back of Roxas's hips and over Roxas's behind, squeezing it tightly as he did so.

"Axel!"

"You like that, huh?" Axel briefly let his eyes fall upon the brunette's angelic face, his beautiful orbs tightly shut from the pleasure Axel gave him. His neck was arched back like his hips, and Axel was lost in the beauty of it all.

He moved his hands up from Roxas's behind to the elastic band of Roxas's boxers and pulled them down slowly. The black and silver cotton boxers were pulled down to Roxas's ankles, resting on top of his pants.

Green eyes gazed over the special "prize" he got for undressing the male beneath them.

"Hard already?" Axel bent his head further down. The male beneath him moaned in response as Axel's breath tickled at his erect member.

Slowly, the red-head licked up his shaft, taking his time as he enjoyed the gasp and trembling moans that escaped from Roxas. When he finally made his way to the head, he kissed it gently before tracing his fingers up Roxas's thighs, making their way up to the brunette's small-framed hips.

Roxas pushed his hips up higher as Axel rubbed his thumb gently across Roxas's hips.

With his other hand, Axel moved it to the top of Roxas's arousal and tickled his fingers to the bottom where he wrapped his thumb and index finger around the base. Slowly, he pumped his two fingers up and down and got a series of fading-in-and-out moans from the brunette he was pleasuring.

"Ah—!" Roxas gasped out as Axel wrapped his other three fingers around the hardened member and pumped harder. "Axel…!"

The red-haired male licked his tongue around the interior of Roxas's bellybutton, nibbling at the tender skin gently as he did so. He slightly squeezed his hand around Roxas's erection, getting a deep moan from the male who he now licked a trail from the bellybutton he was nibbling at to the middle of his chest.

Now at Roxas's chest, Axel kissed gently over his heart and looked up at Roxas, who had his eyes tightly closed and his mouth slightly open, soft moans escaping from it.

"I…I'm going to cum!" Roxas moaned out.

"That soon?" Axel nibbled at the smaller boy's collarbone.

"L…let...g-go! I do…don't want t-to cum all o-ov-over…you!"

"I don't think so," the red-head raised his head and smiled slyly at Roxas.

"But…aah!" Roxas's eyes closed as he cummed all over Axel's hand and his bare stomach. Tired, he fell down to the floor, his back flat against it and his breathing heavy.

Axel merely sat up on his knees and raised his hand to his face and licked off the white substance. He looked down at Roxas who had his eyes staring into his and winked at him. "Yummy," Axel smiled and licked the last of it off his fingers.

Realizing he missed the little of it that was on Roxas's abdomen, Axel bent down and slowly licked away at it, his hands on Roxas's hips side to support himself.

Now done cleaning up the "mess" Axel bent down to his elbows, leaning his body a few inches above Roxas's.

"As I said before," Axel rested his forehead against the brunette's. "I've waited forever, to taste you and feel you like this. Someday, I'll make you mine..." Axel pulled his forehead up gently and kissed Roxas on the nose. "But when you're ready."

Blushing, Roxas turned his head to the side, avoiding Axel's look.

"Well, when you make a face like that it's even harder for me to resist you!" Axel laughed gently.

"Sh-shut up!" the brunette's blush deepened.

"I just want to eat you all up!" Axel jokingly pulled at Roxas's cheeks and laughed as Roxas tried to squirm away.

Finally letting go, Axel sat up and pulled Roxas with him. He hugged the younger male to him tightly and leaned his head on top of his.

"I don't want moments like these to end…"

"Yeah," Roxas whispered.

"Roxas," Axel hugged him tightly. "I love you."

Roxas's eyes widened. "A-axel!"

"I know it sounds quick, but I'm damn sure about it."

"I know you never lie," the brunette smiled and hugged his boyfriend back tightly. "Axel, I've always loved you and I don't think I can or will ever stop loving you."

"That makes me happier than you'll ever know," Axel smiled and closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth he felt as he held the person most dear to him ever so tightly in his arms.

X X X X X

The bell signaling sixth period rang throughout the school, and the sound of students escaping their classes to the hallways filled the building. The group of friends exiting the boisterous cafeteria parted their separate ways and said their good-byes and see-you-laters. As Sora waved a good-bye to his boyfriend, Riku extended his corresponding hand to Sora's waving one. He entangled his long fingers with the brunette's slender ones, pulling Sora to him and leaning back against the wall as he did so.

"Ri-kun!" Sora's face turned a deep shade of red.

The silver-haired male loosely wrapped his arms around Sora's slim waist, interlocking his fingers to rest his hands on the brunette's lower back. He slightly tilted his head and bent it lower to Sora's, who responded by pulling his face backwards.

"Not here, Riku," he mumbled.

"Why not?" the taller male spoke in a seductive voice.

"Because everyone's watching…"

Riku glanced his eyes at the people who were watching them, mostly some girls who were ogling at the sight of gay-boys cuddling. "So? We're in a relationship that both you and I take seriously."

"But…" Sora looked around for a spot to not look at his boyfriend, who he was so tempted to kiss but at the same time was embarrassed at the looks the girls, and guys, were giving him.

"So we're gay," Riku said flatly.

"R-Riku!"

Riku tilted his head over to a group of people passing by who stared at the couple. "And what are you looking at?" he smiled disdainfully at them. "Love is love. We're gay and in love, and if you don't like it then go back to eating some pussy."

Completely red, Sora hid his face in Riku's chest.

"Anything else you'd like to say to our viewers?" Riku hugged Sora's hips to his closer.

"N-n-o!" Sora's voice was muffled out from Riku's shirt.

"Then give up and kiss me," Riku untangled his hands and pulled one up to Sora's face to tilt his chin up so that he could look into Sora's eyes. "I could drown in your eyes, Sora-kun," Riku bent his lips close to Sora's, just an inch away. "I'm being pulled into an ocean when I look into them and I just want to stay there forever."

Sora gave up on being embarrassed and closed the distance between his lips and Riku's.

'I don't give a damn anymore,' he thought to himself as he parted his lips for Riku's tongue to enter. 'I love Riku and nothing else matters. If I'm gay then I'm gay; I love Riku and who cares what people think.'

Riku's other hand was still resting on Sora's back, and it slowly moved lower and lower, until it reached Sora's bottom. There, Riku softly squeezed it as he continued to passionately kiss his boyfriend.

"Get a room you fags!" a voice interrupted their lovely make-out session.

The two slightly parted from each other and looked over at the voice who called out, Riku's look turning into a glare as soon as he noticed the owner of the voice.

"Oh, hey, Kairi," Sora greeted her with a blushing face; not that he wanted to see anyone other than Riku right now, and she did walk in on them making out and Sora was enjoying Riku massaging his ass but…

"Sora," Kairi interrupted his thoughts. She walked up to them, and seemed to be…different, to the two boys.

Riku furrowed his eyebrows as he could now look directly into Kairi's eyes. "What drugs did you take to stunt your growth?" he asked in a rude voice.

"None, just new shoes," she tilted her head and gave Sora a sexual-like look in her eyes. "You like, Sora?" she outstretched one leg and pointed it towards the floor. She showed off her legs and leaned over a bit to be eye level with him, her chest popping out of her skin-tight shirt. "Aren't they…sexy?" she spoke in her best seductive voice.

"I … don't know?" Sora stared at her in confusion. Kairi had always been like this around him, and he just kept ignoring how she was sluttish; for years he thought she was like this with _every_ guy.

But once again, Sora's naive mind was wrong, and it was Riku who had to point it out.

"Look, Kairi," Riku looked at her for once with out glaring. "I don't want to be enemies, but this is ridiculous."

"What are you saying?" she pushed her hair back with her fingers and twirled a strand of it with one.

"Sora and I have known each other since we were infants, and now we are in a relationship," Riku gave her a look that if she dared to interrupt he would burn her hair, and face, off. "And seeing that you and Sora are friends I can respect that, but there is no way I can respect or tolerate you're bitchy behavior towards us," his eyes glared deeply into hers.

"But…" she started.

"No, you listen," Riku gently slid himself away from Sora and stood face to face with her. "Sora…is the only person I ever loved," he boldly proclaimed. "And I won't let your childish games interfere with that. So grow up already, Kairi, this is getting ridiculous."

Riku turned around and looked at Sora with hurt in his eyes. "I really do…" he started, his eyes glancing at the floor. "Sora…" he looked back into his boyfriend's eyes. "Am I the only one who is going to stand up to this bullshit?"

Biting his lip, Riku turned and started his way to his sixth period class, his head bent low and his textbook and notebook tightly held in his hand, held at his side.

"Ri-kun," Sora watched as the taller male walked away. When he was out of sight, he glared over at Kairi. "I can't believe you would do that, Kairi."

"Wh-what?" Kairi stepped back. NEVER had she seen Sora glare before.

"You've changed, Kairi…" Sora's glare grew stronger and Kairi took another step backwards. "This isn't like you so…stop it already." With that said, Sora took off in his direction for class.

Kairi stood there, her head bent all the way down, as low as it would go. Her red hair fell forward covering her soft-colored face and ocean-blue eyes. Her body began to shake and tears pried their way out of her eyes.

"Kairi-chan?"

The red-head tilted her head up slightly to look into her younger sister's matching-blue eyes.

"Why are you crying Kairi-chan?" her soft voice asked as she reached her hand out and gently placed it on her older sister's shoulder.

"I'm a terrible person," the red-head looked up into her sister's face.

"Why do you say that?"

"I made Sora angry and I let my jealousy get the better of me."

Naminé hugged her sister. "Don't say that," she hugged her sister tightly. She let go and smiled at her sister. "You just made a mistake, but that does not mean you turned into a terrible person."

"Naminé…"

The blonde-haired girl smiled warmly at her sister.

"It just means you have to show your true self now, Kairi; it's time to show the good person you really are."

X X X X X

The classroom was full of students scurrying around working on their art projects, gathering the materials they required for their project. Each student was particularly busy with trying to finish up their project by the end of the period. The teacher taught a lesson and showed a demonstration Monday, and gave the students the rest of the week to finish a project based on Monday's lesson and demonstration.

For Riku, it was easy, for everything came natural to him once he got the hang of it. This week's project was to make a painting using nature as tools. Riku knew exactly what he wanted to do—make something special for Sora.

But after the little "incident" they had earlier today, he had been feeling guilty for pulling a pathetic attitude like that.

"I shouldn't have done that," he muttered as he painted a leaf a thin layer of black. He waved it around so it would dry quicker and stared down at his project. It was his last day to finish it; he knew he would finish it but everything he did after lunch tore at his heart.

After another ten minutes of painting leaves black, Riku was finally finished with his background, after pasting them on that is. He gathered leaves and grass earlier in the week, and painted them black. They were glued onto the canvas, the canvas having very few white spots, and the areas that were see-through to the white-canvas surface were barely half a centimeter long.

Riku reached over to the side of his painting and picked up a plastic bag. In the bag he had a yellow-dried up fruit. Taking it out of the bag, he put some glue on the back and glued it down on top of the painted-black leaves. From the bag he took a second piece of dried-up fruit and glued it next to the other piece.

Now that he was finished with that, he took a paintbrush and painted a small heart in between the small space that lay between the two pieces of fruit. He placed the used brush into a cup of water and reached for a tube of paint and a fresh brush.

With the yellow paint he painted several stars scattered across the canvas, all of them varying in size. He dipped his brush into white to add shading effects on the stars, as well as blue and orange on some of them.

For the third time, Riku took a fresh paint brush and reached for another tube of paint, this time a soft shade of light blue. He put some paint on the piece of tin-foil next to him and dipped his brush into it. In his best English print he began to write something across the surface of the painting.

The teacher was walking around, dodging the students who were stumbling right to left over finishing their project. She came around to Riku, who was staring at his project for a while, it seemed.

"Riku, what have you done?" she asked in a friendly voice. She smiled as she looked down at it. "My, my! That is quite beautiful!" the teacher admired the painting immensely. "And what does the English say?"

"I don't love you much do I," Riku turned up to her with a sad look in his eyes and a forced smile on his lips. "Just more than all the stars in the sky."

The teacher smiled warmly at her student and sat down at the stool next to her pupil. "That's a very heavy quote. So who is the lucky girl you love that much?"

The silver-haired teen glanced at the painting quickly before speaking. "It's not a girl…"

"Oh," the teacher smiled even wider. "A boy?"

Riku threw his head over to the smiling teacher. "How…?"

"My brother is gay, and I started and led the Gay Straight Alliance club in my high school and college," the teacher leaned her elbows on the table and kept her gaze at the painting. "It's tough, not that I know personally but…from what my brother went though. What I'm trying to say is, just keep loving that person no matter what and if you need anything I'm here for you as a teacher and…free personal therapist, I guess."

"Thank you," Riku's voice softly mumbled. "Thank you, Sakura Sensei."

"Now, don't thank me!" she waved it away with her hand. "Just keep on loving that person as much as you do, alright?"

"Always," Riku smiled for real at his teacher this time. "I can never stop loving this person; no matter how hard I tried he has always been the only person to make me feel alive."

"Well, would you look at that! Riku has found true love!" the teacher playfully ruffled the silver-haired boy's hair and smiled at him as he let out a weak laugh.

It was then that the bell rang out loudly through out the building, and the students in the art room scrambled and hurried around, collecting their projects and neatly placed them on the teacher's desk for grading. The teacher, in hand, made her way to her desk and pulled out a large portfolio-bag and began to place the projects inside.

All the other students had cleaned their working areas and left, while Riku was still sitting at his work table, his eyes still deeply concentrated on his painting in front of him.

"Riku," the teacher put the last of the pile into her bag. "I love that artwork, but I need to grade it."

"Sakura Sensei?"

"Yes, Riku?"

"Is there any way…" Riku's eyes looked up at hers slowly. "That I can take this home today…?"

The teacher sighed and placed her hands on her hips. Biting her lip, she looked back up at Riku. "Fine, but you owe me."

"Thank you!" Riku jumped out of his chair. "What do I owe you?"

"This," the teacher handed a flyer to her student, an iniquitous grin on her face.

Riku read the piece of paper slowly at first, his eyes widening immensely from what he read. He then re-read it, to clarify with himself that what he had red was, in fact, true.

"You want me…"

"You betcha!"

"I…I don't know…"

"Come on, Riku," she sat down on her desk, crossing her legs at her ankles. "It would be a great advantage to your future and just to help improve your talents, you could say."

"…" Riku stared blankly at his teacher. "My…talents?"

"Yes, Riku. We're not talking about elephants or making babies here; we're talking about the talent that you seem to constantly deny yourself of. Does the person you love even _know_ about your talent?"

"The only talent I have," he folded the paper in half with one hand and with the other brushed a few loose bangs out of his eyes. "Is unconsciously hurting the one I love."

"Well, there's your problem."

Again, Riku stared impassively at her, but this time with a curious gleam in his sea-green eyes.

"You don't realize that you have the talent only a few people in this world have, and I've never seen such talent, and I've been around in the art business for nearly thirty years now."

"I highly doubt that…"

"It's true, Riku," her eyes grew with intensity. "Why would I lie to such a prodigy?"

X X X X X

For a late day in September, the sun seemed to still be strong even with the passing of the first day of fall just a few days before. The usual signs of fall blooming were, very slowly, starting to show. Not that the trees were changing colors or anything like that matter, but with each passing week, the temperature seemed to drop a degree, if even that.

Winds were becoming ever-so-slightly chilly, where it blows at your neck and the thought of winter coming sends chills down your spin. To some, it was the chills of dealing with snowfall with colder weathers, while others chilled at the thought of waking up to see a Winter-Wonder-Land of snow blanketing the ground.

And there is nothing like snowfall on a beach, and Sora knew that better than anyone. When it came time for the snow to start falling, Sora would get excited. Though he never showed it, he would spend every day that it snowed playing in it and never returning until he was about to collapse from exhaustion.

Yet, snowfall was not the only thing that got Sora excited about the winter.

His birthday is on the twenty-fifth of December; or as every individual knows it as, Christmas. With these two happy days combined as one, Sora always looked forward to the joyful season.

This year would be different, with Riku coming back, and being his boyfriend to add the better details to it.

But as wonderful as the thought of the holidays, his birthday, and snow, which we can not forget, the thought of being in a fight with Riku was tearing at his heart.

This was, unfortunately, the wrong day for Sora to not have his mind focusing on what he was supposed to really be doing, which was swimming. And as we all know rather well, Sora can sometimes be…ditzy, to put it nicely.

With his mind on Riku and the fight, Sora seemed to forget to do one of the most important things while swimming…

And that was to **breathe**.

So there he was, his body sinking and his lungs begging for air, and his mind was in a far-away land. Luckily for him, a team-mate bumped into him, waking him from his troubled mind and jumping to the air.

Air! His lungs cried out and breathed in all the air he could gulf down.

'Oops,' Sora shook his head and started to swim again. 'That was a close one.'

Deciding to take a break, the brunette swam slowly to the edge of the pool. There he rested one hand on-top of the other on the side, his forehead leaning against his knuckles. He closed his eyes and once again fell into deep thought.

"You okay there, Sora?" a sort-of rough voice asked.

Sora shot his head up to find his coach kneeling down in front of him. "What?"

"I asked if you're alright," he repeated himself.

"Oh," Sora blinked. "I'm good."

"I don't want to pressure you but we have a swim-meet next Friday, and I need you in top shape. You're one of our best swimmers, so whatever's going on, try to have it cleared up by Monday."

"Yes sir," the brunette nodded his head up and down.

"Well, sit out for a few minutes until you can clear yourself to do more laps. We only have an hour left anyway, so just take a few deep breathes," with all said and done, the coach pushed himself up and walked to another lane, his eyes watching as the swim team swam their laps assigned by him.

Sora decided to take his coach's advice, and pulled himself up out of the water and sat at the ledge of the pool. He had his knees bent upwards and his feet just a couple inches away from his body. His knees bent inwards, and he laid his forehead against them, closing his eyes and taking in deep breathes. The brunette placed his hands around his knees, hugging them softly to not move his knees and head.

X X X X X

Riku walked slowly, carrying two white plastic bags in one hand. His head was bent ever so lowly, and his hair partially swayed with each step that he took, closer to where he had wanted to go.

"Why am I doing this?"

He opened the door to the building, entering into the school's gym. The basketball team was currently practicing, and the sound of sneakers skidding across the wooden floor filled the high-ceiling room. The ball bounced from player to player, as they dodged each other in their scrimmage.

But Riku kept walking, on the side-line area, towards the right corner of the school, all the way in the back where it was dimly lit. He ignored the basketball team and coach standing on the other side screaming at his players, and they all ignored him.

Sighing, Riku made his way up the stairs located in the back corner, taking each step slow and easy. At the top, he came to a door and rested his empty hand on the handle, collecting his thoughts before he opened it.

And because life is so unpredictable and destiny always has you standing on your tipsy-toes over a cliff, the door opened outwards before Riku could even get around to it. From the surprise of the door opening, Riku fell forwards onto the floor below him, using his arm to break his fall.

"What the—!"

"Sorry 'mon!" an island-accent spoke out, clearly identifying the person to the silver-haired boy who was still lying on the floor.

"Oh, it's you Wakka," Riku sat up and rubbed his arm where he fell on it.

"You'se gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it," the silver-haired teen pushed himself off the ground and picked up the bags he had dropped as he fell. "But what are you doing in the swim-pool area?"

"Coach sent me here to get some supplies, y'know?" he held up a bag full of rubber balls and other equipment.

"I…see," Riku eyed the weird-looking equipment that Wakka held in a bag.

"It's not sex toys or anything, Riku," Wakka playfully slapped his friend on the shoulder. "Git your mind out of the gutter, lovah-boy!" He began to walk away, and Riku's face flushed slightly. "Get it over with or you'll explode, yeah?" Wakka grinned slyly and walked down the stairs Riku had just previously walked up.

More embarrassed, Riku tried to hide his face with his hand, rubbing at the area between his eyebrows. "I can't believe him," he muttered.

Forgetting about what Wakka said, Riku remembered the reason as to why he even came up to the swim-pool area. His eyes scanned the pool, looking for one boy in-particular…

"He's not in the pool," his eyebrows furrowed and his eyes grew with worry. "He would not have gone home…would he?"

Riku looked around the area one more time for the teen, and once he looked at the side by the fence, he saw a brown-haired male huddled into a ball, resting against the starting-jump by the pool.

"There," Riku walked toward the huddled-up teenager, his eyes never once leaving his face.

X X X X X

Clouds rolled lazily on by, and the wind seemed to come and go as it pleased. It truly was a beautiful day of September, of course October was just a couple days of way, but the weather was still tepid and luscious.

Blue eyes looked up at blue skies, blinking a couple times as the wind slowly passed on by, swaying his hair to the side and bringing shivers to his neck as it slightly tickled across the bare skin.

"Sora!"

The blue eyes looked over at his coach who was about twenty feet away. "You want to go home for the day? You look under the weather…"

Sora thought it over, looking up at the clouds as if they had an answer, and then back to his coach. It was then that he noticed the silver-haired male that stood close the door, several yards behind his coach.

"Riku," the brunette whispered, standing up to his feet.

"What'd you say, Sora?" the coach tilted his head with his ear closer to Sora to listen to what the boy had to say.

Wobbling a bit at the loss of the balance, Sora managed to steady himself.

"Sora, you want me to go get the nurse?"

Not answering his coach, Sora began to run in the coach's direction, who raised his voice and told him not to run.

'I don't care about anything,' Sora's thoughts raced as he ran to the boy standing by the door. 'I just want to hold him.'

Riku stopped walking, and only made it fifteen steps, if even that, away from the door. He watched as Sora clumsily ran towards him. Their eyes were locked onto each other, and as Sora came closer, Riku saw tears in his sky-blue eyes.

"Sora," he whispered.

"Ri-kun," the brunette made his way to the other male, running right into him and they fell down to the ground. Both of them ignored the pain, Riku sitting up to see Sora holding tightly onto him, sniffling as he hugged him tighter.

"Sora…"

"Ri-kun, I'm so sorry," he began to shake as tears fell. "Please don't…don't be angry with me!"

"Sora," Riku wrapped his arms tightly around the small-framed boy.

"So, you're the famous Riku, huh?"

The two boys looked up, Sora blushing furiously when he realized it was his coach, and Riku just blinking at the man standing in front of him.

"I'm Sora's coach," the man laughed gently.

Hearing this, Riku jumped up and stood properly, bowing ever so gracefully before the coach. "Sorry, sir," he spoke before coming up from his bow.

(Author's note: you probably already know about everyone bowing in Japan, but it's a regular custom and way of apology, for those who don't. I'll explain it at the end)

"Now, now," the teacher waved his hands in the air. "No need to apologize, now. Sora's just a highly-valued member of the team, and he's always been on the phone with someone named Riku literally the second that practice ends, and now I get to meet you."

Riku turned his head to Sora, who was sitting comfortably on the floor. "A highly-valued member of the team?"

"Not me!" Sora avoided Riku's eyes.

"Oh, Sora!" the coach laughed heartedly. "Ignore him, Riku, he's just being stubborn."

"Uh huh," Riku kept his eyes on Sora, who tried his best to hide his.

"Matter-of-fact, Sora is the fastest swimmer on the team! He broke the school record freshman year, and then broke his own record last year! The talent he has is absolutely incredible, and without him we never would have won the championship three years in a row!"

"Really now?" Riku's attention was now on the coach.

"Yes, and I'm not lying to you at all. You should see him, he's a marvelous swimmer."

"Coach!" Sora stood up, letting his semi-wet hair cover his blushing face. "I think he does not need to know that, so I'll see you Monday, okay?"

Sora took hold of Riku's hand and began to walk away, with Riku allowing himself to be dragged.

"Hey, Sora!"

Sora stopped and looked back at his coach, muttering under his breath. "Yeah?"

"Morning practice all next week, so be here at five a.m. sharp!"

"Just great," Sora sighed and continued walking, down the stairs and to the other side of the gymnasium, to where the boy's locker room is located.

The entire time, Sora kept holding Riku's hand, and Riku just smiled, as Sora closed the door behind them and stopped, looked down at his hand and pulled it away, hiding his face.

"Now, now," Riku ruffled Sora's hair. "A champion, are we?"

"It's nothing huge or anything…"

"Yes it is," Riku argued, letting go of the brunette's hair.

"Look, it isn't. So I have one thing that I didn't mess up, okay?"

Riku inhaled deeply and sighed before talking. "I think like that."

"Huh?" Sora turned his face towards Riku's.

"That I mess everything up, and that everything I do is wrong. You know…that you're so empty and try your best but you know that it's never good, and even when others say it is…you're still hollow inside."

"Ri-kun…"

"When you read college textbooks in sixth grade just to be so advanced to get the slightest bit of attention from the people around you, only to have your classmates treat you like an outcast and your so-called parents not caring in the slightest bit."

Sora's eyes grew with sadness; he knew this was a very emotional and personal thing for Riku, and he hardly talked about his past at all.

And here he was, pouring his heart out to Sora, trying to release his pain…

"You have no social life, no friends, only hope to keep you going. And no matter how lonely you are you have to ignore it, to get any praise for what you've done," Riku bit his lip gently before opening his mouth to speak again. "There were so many awards, and all the smiles my mother wore just to look like the perfect mother, and how many I had to wear to look like the perfect son. The same was for my father but he was never home," he looked into Sora's eyes as sadness raced through his. "I only call them father and mother just to make myself feel like a family…but they never filled the title of parents."

And here was Sora, mending the broken pieces of the boy he loved so dearly.

"Ri-kun," Sora once again jumped on top of his boyfriend, without falling down this time, and hugged him tightly in a strong embrace. "I'm sorry you grew up with that, and I wish I knew more but don't worry about them."

"It's not that…" Riku mumbled, hugging his boyfriend tightly.

"Then what is it?" Sora looked up into sea-green eyes, that looked into his with such love.

"I never felt at home no matter where I was, I felt like I had no purpose and would never feel happy," his lips closed in on Sora's momentarily before pulling away to finish his thoughts. "And now I could not be happier than being with you."

"Ri-kun, I…"

The door slammed open, kicked open by a blonde with a scowl on his face.

"Freakin' coach telling me off, why I 'oughta…" the blonde mumbled, then stopped as he saw the silver-haired male and brunette staring at him with wide-eyes from the shock of the door being kicked down.

"Sora! Riku!" the blonde grinned widely and chuckled as he stepped closer to his friends. "Never would have thought you'd be getting it on in the locker room of all places!"

The two blushed and stepped back from each other. "C'mon now, Tidus," Sora mumbled, his face growing redder and redder.

"Kidding with you, that's all," Tidus playfully punched Riku in the arm, who asked any God that was listening what was with him and his kinky boyfriend Wakka hitting him in the shoulder today.

"So why are you here so early?" Sora tried to avoid anything else that would pop up from Tidus's perverted mind.

"Got kicked out of practice," he casually walked over to his locker and opened it.

"Again?"

Laughing, Tidus shrugged at the brunette's question. "If the coach keeps pissing me off then I'll give him an attitude back, but he knows without my wonderful skills the team wouldn't even be able to play against flowers!"

"So what'd you do this time?" Sora sat went to his locker and began to change, and Tidus did as well. Riku stood there, frozen, staring at Sora who had his swim trunks down to his ankles and his bottom right in front of his face.

Blushing, Riku tried to look away but could not.

'Resist temptation…' he thought to himself. 'C'mon now, control yourself!'

"Well, well, Riku!"

'Shit!' Riku's body froze as Tidus laughed.

"Staring at Sora's ass! Tsk, tsk, tsk!"

"W-what!?" Sora jumped around to see that Tidus was, in fact, correct.

And also the fact that Sora forgot that he was butt-naked and was now showing his goodies off to Riku, who stared, blushed, and turned around quickly, mumbling apologies, with Sora throwing on his boxers to the sound of Tidus laughing.

"You guys are such virgins!" Tidus put on his pair of jeans and threw a dark-blue shirt on.

Still laughing, Tidus walked out of the locker room with his bag, his laugh still audible between the doors of the lockeroom, leaving the two boys all alone.

"Riku?"

"…Yes?" the silver-haired male took a while to reply.

"Were you really staring at my ass?"

Riku did not respond.

The brunette called out his name again. "Riku?"

Riku mumbled incoherently.

"Riku," Sora said in a stern voice. "Were you staring at my ass?"

"Maybe," his face grew with a blush.

"Are you thinking perverted thoughts?"

"Maybe," Riku sighed, covering his face with a hand, his back still turned towards Sora.

"Are you going to jack-off to what you just saw?"

"…."

"Riku?"

"…Do I have to answer that?"

"Yes," Sora turned around to face Riku, only to see his back. "Yes, you do."

"I…don't want to…"

"EW!" Sora's eyes widened. "You jack-off to the thought of me naked!?"

Riku jumped to face Sora. "NO! I didn't say _that_!"

"I bet you have perverted dreams of us doing the nasty-nasty with all your kinky desires!"

"Sora! No, it's not like that!"

"How…_gross_!"

"No, Sora!"

Sora giggled and tackled his boyfriend for the third time that day. "Silly, you can stare and jack-off all you want," he placed a gentle kiss on Riku's flushed cheek, causing him to blush even deeper.

A roaring laugh came from the door of the locker-room, where Sora and Riku's head lashed over to see who was laughing.

"I can't believe I caught all of that on tape!"

"Tidus…." A growl came deep from Riku's voice. "Delete it or I will seriously kick your ass right here, right now."

"Oh, I'm so frightened!" Tidus clasped his hands over his cheeks. "What shall I ever do? The scary masturbation-man will get me! Oh no!" he laughed and turned his back to the couple on the floor, and stuck his bottom out at them. "Bite me!"

With that he ran out of the gym as fast as he could, surprising the basketball team that was still practicing.

"…." Sora sat up and rested on his knees. "How many people do you think he's going to show that to?"

X X X X X

Meanwhile…

Roxas was sitting on the warm curves of the sand, licking away at the popsicle he held in his hand.

"Hey there!" Axel sat down next to him.

Roxas jumped up in fear and dropped his popsicle in the sand, looking down sadly at it. "You made my popsicle all sandy," he whined.

"Your fault if you get scared that easy," the red-head teased him.

"And it was _reaaaaally_ good, too!"

Axel smirked and leaned over, kneeling in front of Roxas with one hand on either side of him. "As good as the special treatment I gave you today, hmm?"

Blushing, Roxas slowly shook his head from side to side, caught up in Axel's clear-green eyes that were mesmerizing him as Axel leaned closer, and closer until….

"CHILD PREYYYYYYYY!"

Both Axel and Roxas jumped up, as heavy metal music screamed out of Axel's cell-phone, and vibrated as well.

"Look, there's a screaming vibration in my pants," Axel took his cell phone out of his pocket. "Too bad it isn't you, Roxas baby," he winked at his boyfriend before flipping open his phone.

Roxas blushed as Axel read over the message he got.

"Oh God," he whispered.

"What is it?"

"Tidus just sent me the funniest thing!"

"What'd he send you?"

"Riku confessing that he masturbates to Sora naked!" he moved his cell phone towards Roxas so it was visible to him.

Roxas's eyes grew wide as he listened to the conversation between Riku and his brother on the video Tidus sent to his boyfriend, who laughed his way through the entire video.

"Were you staring at my ass?" Sora's voice called out.

Roxas's eyes stayed in their wide position, and Axel was snickering crazily.

They continued to watch, and it was at the end that Roxas nearly died.

"I bet you have perverted dreams of us doing the nasty-nasty with all your kinky desires!"

Roxas twitched as this.

"Sora! No, it's not like that!"

"How…_gross_!"

"No, Sora!"

Roxas's eyes nearly popped out as Sora tackled Riku and said the next thing.

"Silly, you can stare and jack-off all you want!"

The brunette fell over onto the sand out of shock of seeing, and hearing, his brother say this.

"Roxas baby?" Axel leaned over his fallen-over boyfriend.

"S…S…So..Sora… and…Ri…ku…"

"We've gone farther than they have, Roxas baby," Axel casually said. "I mean, I gave you head today, and they only got to grabbing each other's asses and jacking-off.

"Don't say that!" Roxas covered his ears, and Axel could not help but smile evilly.

"What, you don't want to hear," Axel leaned in closely by his boyfriend, speaking into his ear. "About your brother, squirming under Riku as he pounds in and out of him and Sora moans out Riku's name as he orgasms."

"No!" Roxas clamped his hands tightly over his ears.

"Or how about Riku can suck your brother off, licking up all then cum slowly, making Sora harder again and begging Riku to enter him, hmm?"

"Cut it out, Axel!"

"Not until you beg me to!"

"Stop!!"

"Beg!"

"No!"

"Beg, I say!"

X X X X X

Sora smiled at Riku and leaned his head on his shoulder. "Thank you for taking me out to dinner, Ri-kun! It was really good, thank you, thank you!"

"Anything for you, Sora," Riku put his arm around Sora and embraced him closely. The two of them sat on the steps in front of Sora's house, cuddling in the small fragments of moonlight that shined through the partially cloudy sky.

The brunette began to slowly close his eyes and leaned all his weight onto Riku's shoulder.

"You want to go to bed, Sora?"

"Will you stay with me?"

"Of course," Riku lifted his right arm over Sora's head and wrapped it around his waist. "Hold on tightly to me, okay?"

"Mmmhm," Sora mumbled.

Riku picked Sora up, his left arm holding up Sora's legs, and his other holding up his torso. Sora leaned his head on Riku's chest and cuddled up into the warmth of his body.

Skillfully, Riku managed to get the key out of Sora's pocket, open the door, close it and lock it, and carry Sora up to his bedroom without too much commotion or any major difficulties.

Finally, the silver-haired teen made it to Sora's bedroom and laid him down on his bed. "Sora, you want to get out of those clothes and into pajamas?"

"No," Sora turned over in his bed, facing his wall, as if he were a two-year-old.

"Sora, you won't be comfortable sleeping in jeans…"

"I'm fiiiine," Sora whined, curling up into a ball.

"Well, then, I'll take it off myself."

Riku leaned over on the bed and began to undress Sora, who just laid there in a half-asleep state of mind, too tired to realize what situation he was in.

Riku, on the other hand, forced himself to only concentrate at the task at hand; take Sora's clothes off without anything perverted things happening or coming up.

If that was possible, at all.

Yet, once again, Riku managed to amaze himself by fulfilling the task at hand. He neatly folded Sora's jeans and shirt up, resting them on the floor by the bed. Then he went into Sora's closet and walked to the end of the small walk-in closet. Of course being a walk-in it was fairly large for a closet, but only enough to keep a few things inside of it.

At the end of the closet, Riku opened a drawer to a small wardrobe tucked to the side. Since he seemed to always be at Sora's house, he kept a few pairs of pajama pants in the drawers, along with a few pairs of boxers, socks, a shirt or two, and a thin sweatshirt.

Looking through the clothes, he took out the thin sweatshirt and walked out of the closet. He stood by the closet door and undressed himself, folding up his clothes and placing them neatly next to Sora's. He then put on the sweatshirt, which had a soft interior that he cuddled right into it. The black sweatshirt was a slim fit on him, snuggling at his curves, but it was also a tiny bit short on him, stopping an inch underneath his bellybutton.

Now that he was ready for bed, in his comfortably black sweater and his black boxers, and could not possibly wear more black, Riku pulled up the covers and scooted into the bed, shivering at first.

"Covers are supposed to keep you warm not make you cold when you jump into them," he mumbled.

"Rikuuuu."

"Yeah?"

"I'm cooooold!"

"Come under the covers, then, Sora-kun."

Sora hastily slipped under the covers and immediately cuddled right up to Riku, his body tightly pressed against his boyfriends.

"You're nice and…warm," he whispered in a sleepily voice.

"So are you," Riku loosely rested his arm around Sora's waist, gently massaging his fingers up and down the side of Sora's back.

"That feels good," Sora shifted his position slightly to make himself more comforatable.

Smiling Riku hugged Sora tightly and entangled his legs with the brunette's.

"Goodnight, Sora-kun," Riku gently placed a kiss on Sora's forehead.

"Night-night Ri-kun," Sora laid still for a moment before opening his eyes and looking up into Riku's. "Ri-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"I…I love you," Sora's eyes stared directly into the sea-green ones that filled with love at his words.

"Do you mean it?"

Nodding, Sora rested his head against Riku's chest, closing his eyes to fall back asleep. "You know, Riku?"

"Hmm?"

"You smell really good."

A soft laughter escaped from Riku's lips.

"Goodnight Ri-kun. I love you…I really do."

"I know, Sora, I know," Riku went back to massaging Sora's back gently and lovingly. "And I love you too."

Sora smiled softly in the dark in his room, knowing that Riku could feel the love through his smile though he could not see it.

The silver-haired male glanced up at the wall where the picture he had painted hung proudly on Sora's wall. A smile grew on his lips as he remembered Sora's smile that came to his face when he saw it, and how happy he was to see that smile.

It was just him and Sora, now, lying together with the darkness disabling their sight, but never their minds and knowing how much they loved together.

'Is it possible to be this happy?' Riku thought as he closed his eyes.

'Please, any God that is listening,' Riku began to drift off into sleep. 'Let Sora be happy and if possible me too. Please, let me be the one who continues to make this boy smile so happily and mean it. Let Sora stop having a fake smile.'

X X X X X

END OF THE CHAPTER!!!! D:

DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNNN.

Again, I apologize from the bottom of my heart for talking almost two months to write this.

My life has been really hectic and finding the time to write this was hard.

But I promise that I will work harder on chapter twelve.

This entire chapter came to a total of twenty-six pages, and about twenty-two and a half pages of typing.

CHAPPTHER TWELVE WILL CONSIST OF….

Cloud's birthday party

which automatically leads to CloudxLeon-ness

Winter is coming! D: gasp!

And with winter brings something else !! (go back to the fic hahah)

_Where_ do Axel and Roxas have sex in the school? NO WAY!!!!

If you have any more questions on it, look it up, but that's kind of the basics of it.  
Also if one does not bow it is seen as disrespectful.

And you have to do it a certain way to have it correctly for certain occasions.

Such as never looking at the person as you bow and having to look at the floor, etc.

Anyway, I hope everyone had a happy holiday, to whichever holiday you celebrate, and I wish you all a happy and healthy new year!

Thanks again for all your reviews!

See you in chapter twelve:D

( which I hope will not take as long!!)

--Allieface

PS: Side note on bowing:

In the Japanese culture, bowing is a major part of society. It is used as a greeting, a thank you, an apology, and several other things. How deep one should bow depends on who you are bowing to and how much you respect them. A casual bow can be as simple as a bow of the head, where as someone of high power might receive a bow of one bowing down to the waist. For an apology, some will go so far as to bow on the ground as if asking to have an apology accepted.


	12. Chapter 12

FIRST OFF! EVERYONE I'M SO SORRY FOR THIS MISERABLY LONG UPDATE.

Way too many things have been going on, and my life's a rollercoaster that I need to get off of.

But, I won't rant about that, but forgive me for this delay. I made this chapter nice and long, so hopefully it'll make up for the lack of work I've had, okay? Again, really sorry, but still sorting out my life. My best wishes to everyone and hope this chapter is good :D

Anyway……. IT'S FINALLY HERE!!!! DRUMROLL, PLEASE! (drum-roll plays)

CLOUD'S BIRTHDAY PARTYYYYYY:D

I don't know about you guys, but I'm excited for this hahaha. I really wanted to write this, because I had no idea where it was going to go until I wrote this chapter. SO! Now the story has an actual plot line!

Everyone who's reviewed, you guys are so amazing, thank you all SO SO SO SO much for all your kind words! I really can't thank you enough, I wish I could bake you all cookies or take you all out for dinner or something cool like that but yeah.

**TONS AND TONS AND TONS OF THANKS TO……!**

**AngeloftheSoul**

**SoraKokiri**

**Court12**

**angel-yuripa**

**Riku-rocks**

**ChibiKiwi.**

**YaoiFreak**

**AznAnimeChick**

**Dream-Gal101**

**Pixaldust**

**dead edged blade**

**xXHyperKittenXx**

**Roxasdolce**

**Oro-sama**

**Undying lover**

**Chibi sundae**

**Danii Flame**

**Tears of Eternal Darkness**

**Lonesparrow**

**Lon'Angel**

**Tinnerzs**

**Alystria**

**The Dreamers Soul**

BY THE WAY! Here are the characters that I gave last names too so you'll know who's who in the story xD and all other characters, unless I say I changed it, have their original last names, such as Cloud Strife and Squall Leonhart.  
Sora and Roxas Murakimi, Riku Tanaka, Kairi and Naminé Yamada, Tidus Miyagi, Wakka Yamaguchi, Axel Nakamura and Demyx Hidaka.

AND A NOTE TO **xXHyperKittenXx**!! Your idea will be appearing in another chapter, I'm sorry that it will be delayed. But—it'll be added in for you:D

X X X X X

**Fake A Smile**

Chapter Twelve

It was finally Saturday morning and the two people in the Murakimi household were busy at work to clean up and decorate the house for Cloud's arrival. Riku, who was a bit nervous, was taking a coffee break with Maiko. The teen thanked Maiko as she handed him a cup filled with coffee. He slowly sipped at it, savoring the delicious coffee that she had made. He and Maiko had been up since six o'clock getting the house ready, and they were extremely tired at the moment.

"I can't believe it's almost eleven!" Maiko took a seat next to Riku, a coffee cup in her hand as well. "Maybe we should wake up the two sleepy-heads up?"

"Yeah. When do you have to go pick up Cloud?"

"I have to leave in fifteen minutes, in case of traffic."

"That early?" Riku put down his coffee cup.

"Yes, the airport is nearly an hour-and-a-half drive away with no traffic, but the highway always seems to have traffic."

"Oh," Riku nodded. "What time does his plane come in?"

"One-fifty, and everyone else will be coming at three to decorate the house."

Riku nodded and finished the last few sips of his coffee. "I'll go wake up Sleeping Beauty and Roxas, so I'll see you at five, then?"

"Yeah, I'll be home with Cloud at five at the latest," Maiko smiled warmly at the boy as he rinsed out his mug and put it in the dishwasher.

"See you later, Maiko-san," Riku waved as he headed out of the room.

Upstairs, he walked into Sora's room, opening the door slowly. "Sleeping Beauty, time to—"

"Good morning, Riku-chan!" Roxas smiled at the male who stared at him with a dumbfounded look. "Sora's taking a bath; he's been in there for almost thirty minutes, now."

"Uhh…" Riku's eyes were locked onto the boxers in Roxas's hand.

"I'm doing laundry, but go check up on Sora, okay?"

"Yeah…sure…" Riku closed the door and walked to the other side of the house.

X X X X X

(Please note! Sora and Roxas's bathroom is a Japanese styled bathroom)

Sora sat on the cold tiles of the bathroom floor, his legs neatly crossed under him. He reached over to the shelf hanging on the wall and grabbed for the shampoo. He poured a tiny drop of it onto his hand and massaged it into his wet hair.

Suddenly, a knock at the door was heard, along with the opening of a door.

(Note: there are two sets of doors, meaning two sets of rooms, the first room has the sink and mirror and is very small, and the second room is the bath area, where you rinse first and than bathe because it is not proper to go into a bath all soapy.)

"Roxas, I'll be another thirty minutes," Sora called out.

"It's not Roxas," a voice said as steps walked up to the door, the only barrio hiding Sora's naked body and Riku in the outside room.

"Wah! Riku!" Sora jumped up to his feet. "Stay out, I'm naked!"

There was a pause, with a few ruffling sounds before Riku replied from the other side of the door. "Who said I came to see you naked?"

The door, the only barrier, was now opened by Riku, who stood leaning against it, his opposite hand loosely resting against his hip.

"I'm _joining_ you," he said in his sexiest voice, to then have Sora realize that Riku was in fact, naked as well.

"Let me rinse the shampoo out of your hair, okay, Sora-kun?"

"Ri-kun!" Sora's face blushed a deep red, as Riku closed the door behind him, sliding the lock to keep any intruders out.

"Here," Riku sat on the floor with his legs sprawled out. He patted on the empty space in front of him. "et me wash you up, okay?"

Not exactly knowing what to do, Sora sat down in front of Riku, his back faced to him. Riku reached over for the bucket of luke-warm water and slowly poured it over Sora's soapy body.

"Hand me the conditioner, will you?"

Sora nodded and reached over, grabbing for the bottle.

"And I'll fill up the bucket," Riku leaned his chest on Sora's back, leaning over to turn on the faucet and fill up the large bucket. When he finished filling up his bucket, Riku sat back down and placed the bucket down next to him.

"Are you going to wash your hair?"

"No," Riku scooted a bit closer to Sora, reaching his hand across his stomach and rubbing against his arm as he took the bottle of conditioner from his hand. "I cleaned it this morning."

"Then why…?'

"I ran into Roxas in your room and wanted to join you in the bathtub for a soak, but you were still washing your hair," Riku massaged some conditioner into Sora's hair, rubbing his thumbs down his neck every so often.

"That feels really good," Sora closed his eyes and enjoyed the massage Riku was giving him.

Smiling, Riku moved his hands to the base of Sora's forehead and pressed down as he slowly pulled his fingers back to Sora's neck, and down to his shoulders. He massaged his shoulders gently, in which Sora turned into mush. "Your shoulders are really tense," Riku applied more pressure.

"It's probably from swimming," Sora mumbled, really into the massage.

"Well, I'll just have to give you more massages, then, don't I?"

Blushing, Sora laughed lightly. "That'd be nice."

Done with the massage, Riku reached over for the bucket and gently poured it over Sora's head with one hand while washing the conditioner out with the other. "All done," he placed the empty bucket by the shower-head.

"Thank you, Ri-kun," Sora opened his eyes and pushed some of his hair away from his face.

Riku sat up onto his knees, tightly embracing his arms around Sora's waist.

"R-Ri-kun!" Sora blushed deeply.

Riku latched his fingers together and stood up onto his feet, pulling Sora up by the waist with him.

"Thank you," Sora's blush grew redder when he noticed Riku had no intention of letting go. Instead, the older male leaned his head down on Sora's shoulder and breathed in the fruit-y smell of his shampoo.

"You smell really good," Riku mumbled, closing his eyes.

Sora blushed; really embarrassed that Riku was hugging him from behind and the fact that they were both butt-naked.

"Hey, Sora?"

"Yeah, Ri-kun?"

"Did I tell you I love you today?"

"I don't think so," Sora turned around to face him. "Why?"

Riku smiled and bent down to kiss Sora on the lips, quickly parting. "Because I want you to know how much I love you every single day and how much it grows."

"Ri-kun!"

Riku smiled at the brunette. "Let's go take a nice, long bath. Roxas is probably wondering what's going on," he winked before walking over to the bath tub.

"Riku, I don't think we're both going to fit in there," Sora followed behind him, staring at the medium-sized bath tub.

Riku, ignoring Sora, got into the bath tub, the water covering his body up to the middle of his torso. "There's enough room, just sit in my lap, Sora-kun."

The brunette did as Riku said, but as careful as he could. He stepped in the empty space between Riku's calves, so as to not step on him. He slowly sat on Riku's thighs, shifting most of his weight onto his feet so he would not hurt Riku.

"Sora, lean back."

"I don't want to put my weight on you."

"Sora, you're a toothpick, just lean back."

"No, I won't, I'm too heavy."

"My arm weights more than you."

"I don't want to squish you!"

"You won't just lean back, Sora!"

"But you'll get hurt!"

Getting slightly annoyed, Riku wrapped his arms around Sora's waist and pushed him up and then pulled him down on top of him. "There, now that's not bad at all."

"Let me go!" Sora tried to squirm off of Riku. "I'm going to hurt you if I don't get up!"

"Sora, it's fine," Riku pulled him closer, resting his head on his shoulder again. "Relax and enjoy the water, okay?"

Giving up, Sora sighed and relaxed. "Fine," he grumbled.

"Was that so difficult?"

Sora ignored the question. He instead made himself more comfortable, telling Riku his answer by doing that.

"You really are skinny, Sora-kun," Riku rubbed at his boyfriend's hip bones that were bony on his petite figure.

"But I weight a lot," He leaned his head on top of Riku's closing his eyes.

"How much do you weight, 95?"

"No…"

"Not less!?"

"No, much more…"

"What, 110?"

"No…"

"How much?"

"I don't want to say?"

Aggravated, Riku sighed and shifted his weight a bit. "Well then I might have to do something drastic, then."

"…"

Riku pulled Sora's hips down, and raised his up.

And Sora got his hint.

"FINE! I weigh…124."

"God, Sora, what is that, the weight of a _twig_?"

"No! It's too much!"

"Sora, for your height, that's pretty good, so stop your whining. What, do you want to look anorexic or something?"

The brunette didn't reply, scaring Riku a bit.

"You don't want to…right?"

"Well, I already _look_ it, so…who cares?"

"But you were always skinny, Sora-kun."

"Well, not everyone believes it. I do eat, you see me, but I've never been able to gain weight. I was under a hundred pounds in my last year of middle school, so I was forced to join a sports team in high school so I could gain muscle."

"And you chose swimming, which was a great choice."

"Yeah, I love water," Sora smiled gently. "Especially the ocean. Not just swimming in it though. Just being near it makes me happy enough, almost as if I'm somehow attached to it, you know?"

"I guess," Riku closed his eyes, breathing in Sora's scent. "Kind of like…how I feel with you."

"But…my love for you is different, Riku!"

"Sure, you don't love me as much as your beach."

"But I do!"

"Uh huh."

"Riku, I…when I'm with you I can _smile_ and I can _laugh_ when no body could make me feel nothing more than cold-hearted nothing! I…I'm alive with you, Ri-kun, I am. There's no body else in this whole world—no, _universe_ that makes me happy. You're the only person I love so much and just being with you tells me everything's okay."

After realizing he blurted out all his personal thoughts, Sora blushed deeply. "S-sorry I should keep my mouth shut," Sora apologized, almost ashamed at himself.

"No," Riku hugged Sora tightly to him. "Don't apologize, it's okay, it makes me happy to hear that."

A smile grew on Sora's lips and he sat up, turning over to hug Riku tightly to him. "Ri-kun, I'm never going to leave you, ever, ever, ever!" he hugged his boyfriend as tight as he could in the some-what small bath-tub.

"Good," Riku hugged him back. "Because I never plan to leave you ever, either."

X X X X X

"Ow, ow, ow!"

"Oh, sorry!" Riku turned off the blow-dryer and blew onto the spot of hair he was drying.

"That was really hoooooot!" Sora whined, all teary-eyed.

"Sorry, Sora-kun," he gently pat the spot in which he burnt. "I'll keep moving it around."

Sora pouted as Riku put the hair-dryer on again, drying his hair once again after burning him. And this continued to happen for another twenty minutes until Riku finally finished drying the brunette's hair.

"There, all done," he then started drying his own hair, as Sora stood to brush his teeth.

"Haay, Ree-hyoo," Sora said while brushing his teeth.

"What?"

"Pash me-ah twissh-yoo."

"What?"

"Pash me-ah twissh-yoo," Sora repeated himself.

"I can't hear you," Riku continued to dry his hair.

"Ah twissh-yoo! Ay nee ah tissh-yoo!"

"What are you saying?'

"Twissh-yoo!"

"Huh?"

"Twissh-yoo!"

"Menu?"

"Twissh-yoo!"

"Tofu?"

"TWISSH-YOO!"

Riku turned off the hair-dryer, now able to hear him. "What did you say?"

"TW—AH—AH—ACHOO!!!!"

"Gross!"

Sora sniffled as he looked up, biting his lip at what he saw.

"Sora, I can't believe you sneezed on me—and your toothpaste is all in my hair!"

The brunette could not control it, his laugh boomed out and he hit the counter, unable to control it. "You look so cute!"

"Shut up!" Riku blushed.

Sora gave Riku an evil look before running out of the room, to re-appear again with his camera in hand. "Smile, Ri-kun!"

"Huh?"

FLASH! CLICK!

"W-why you!" Riku tried to grab it away, only to have Sora flail his arms in the air and in the opposite direction of where Riku reached for it.

Sora laughed again before putting the camera on the counter. "Come on; let me wash that off of your hair."

X X X X X

The brunette was supporting himself on his toes, as his chest rested upon his thighs. His hands were busily tossing pants behind his small form, desperately trying to find what he was looking for.

"I thought I left it here," he whined, his hand grabbing the last pair of paints that were messily left on his closet floor.

"You still didn't find it?" Riku popped his head into the closet, staring at the pile of pants Sora had thrown into a pile behind him.

"No," Sora said in a sad defeat. "And Cloud-chan gave them to me."

"So they're special to you?" Riku stepped into the walk-in closet, squatting down next to Sora, who nodded in reply.

"They were my first pair of tight pants that Cloud-chan made me buy."

"Well if they're sentimental to you," Riku opened a drawer that was next to him. "I would say it is hidden with your favorite hoodie, hmm?"

He held up a pair of black denim pants that seemed as if they could barely fit a fifty-pound nine-year-old.

"OH! MY! GOD!" Sora tackled his boyfriend in a tight embrace as they fell to the floor from the force of it. "THANK! YOU! SO! MUCH! THANK! YOU! THANK! YOU! THANK! YOU!"

Laughing lightly, Riku could not help but hug Sora back; after all he _was_ too cute to not want to hug after he squealed like that.

After thanking him numerous more times, Sora let go of his boyfriend and began to put the pants on, struggling a bit. He managed to get them on, however, though they were skin-clenching tight.

"Well?" Sora turned around in a circle in front of Riku. "How do they look?"

Green eyes just stared agape at Sora's extremely thin legs and his bottom tightly squeezed by the black denim.

"Uh," was all Riku would say.

"Are they too tight?" the brunette's face fell over with an upset-like pout, concern worn in his eyes.

"NO!" Riku blurted out.

Shocked a bit, Sora walked out of the closet. "Well, I'm going to put on my shirt so if you're going to masturbate _please_ do it where it won't stain anything in my room."

"I'M NOT GOING TO MASTURBATE BECAUSE YOU LOOK HOT!" the platinum blonde's face grew with a blush as he heard Roxas's voice.

"I think…I'll come back…" Roxas stared wide-eyed at his brother, who stared wide-eyed back. Roxas closed the bedroom door with his foot, since he was holding a tray of food in his hands.

With Roxas was out of the room, Riku stepped out of the closet. "Your brother is going to one-day want to spoon his eyes out and cut off his ears after everything he hears from us."

The brunette turned to his boyfriend, glaring slightly.

"…Oooo-kay then," Riku scratched the back of his head. "So, how about…some…coffee?"

Sora continued to glare a bit before hugging his boyfriend, showing Riku that he forgave him.

X X X X X

Three o'clock came around, and everyone began showing up. The first group to arrive was Wakka, who drove Tidus, Lulu, Yuna, Rikku, and Tifa in his 1996 Toyota 4Runner.

"Sora-kun!" Yuna said in a cheerful voice when the brunette opened the door. "It's been so long!"

"Yuna!" the boy flashed a smile which grew when he saw his other friends standing next to her. "Rikku, Tifa, and Lulu, too!"

The four of them walked in, Tidus and Wakka close behind. They politely took off their shoes and came in, holding bags which they placed. Yuna was the first one to give Sora a hug, and she did not let go until she was ready.

Riku was leaning against the wall, an irritated look on his face and his arms angrily crossed over his chest. Watching the four girls hug and fuss of _his_ boyfriend boiled his blood.

"Don't worry, Riku," Wakka walked over to the fuming boy. "They be like siblings, yah?"

Still angry non-the-less, Riku just pushed against the wall and stood next to Sora. "Hey sweetie, who're your friend?" he possessively put his arm around Sora and kissed him on the cheek.

Sora, in response, blushed deeply. "This is Yuna," he pointed at the girl who smiled brightly and waved. "And Lulu," pointing at the girl who nodded her head slightly, "Tifa," he said as the girl gave a friendly 'Howdy!'. "And Rikku," Sora pointed at the blonde who leaned up on her toes and waved both her hands.

"Nice to meet you, Yuna, Lulu, Tifa and…Rikku."

Smiling, Sora turned to face his boyfriend. "Just like your name, with an extra 'k'," he explained.

"Oh wow!" Rikku hugged the boy. "Twins!" she giggled and let go. "And how old are you handsome?"

"I'm seventeen, and I'm gladly taken," he looked at Sora.

"So this is the famous Riku," Yuna stepped in and looked into Riku's confused sea-green eyes. "It is such a pleasure to meet you!"

"Your eyes," Riku studied them.

"Yes," Yuna stepped back in shame. "They're weird, I know."

"No, that's pretty interesting," Riku leaned in more. "I'm almost jealous," he said with a smile.

"Oh, please," Yuna blushed.

"Well, if you idiots don't mind, I would like to get started," Lulu pushed a few strands of hair from her face. Riku just stared wide-eyed at the girl who had barely any clothing, if it could even be called that, covering her body.

"Yay! Party!" Rikku jumped up and clapped her hands.

Riku just stared at the four new girls. It was definitely going to be interesting.

X X X X X

The next group to arrive was Leon, who only had Demyx in the car with him. His car was a dark blue 1980 Mercedes Benz, a two-seater. He took pride in his car and was careful to where he parked it and took every precaution while driving and taking care of it.

Demyx lived in the same development as Demyx, and the two were always hanging out, as opposite and contradictive as their personalities were.

"Leon must be very happy that Cloud-chan is coming home to-day!"

The brunette just locked his car and looked around to make sure there were no possibilities of anything close by damaging his precious car.

"Hmph," was all he said as he crossed the road to the Murakimi house.

"Don't hide it!" Demyx jumped in front of his friend, walking backwards. "Leon likes Cloud-chan, and ever since Cloud-chan went to college Leon have been very lonely. Leon must be very, very sad."

"Do you ever shut up?"

"No, Demyx likes to talk!" a cheerful smile was worn over his lips.

"Stop talking in third person already," Leon stepped the three steps onto the small porch, ringing the doorbell as Demyx kept bothering him.

"But Demyx knows Leon likes Cloud-chan! It is very easy for anyone to read Leon's face! Demyx knows so!"

Leon glared at his friend, sighing as Demyx just smiled more. He gave up being angry; he knew Demyx was too hyper to let anything bother him at the moment.

"Hey guys!" a blonde with half-braids and half-straight hair opened the door.

"Rikku?" Leon tilted his head. "When did you come home?

"I got home two days ago, two days before I expected. I got in a fight with this guy," she scratched the back of her head and laughed lightly. "So, I got kicked out for a week."

Demyx just looked at her with wide eyes. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah," she sighed. "I didn't tell mom, yet…"

"She'll flip!" Demyx hugged the blonde. "My poor sister, there, there."

Rikku just ignored her brother and kept talking to Leon. "Your lover's going to be here in a couple hours! So, are you going to make a move this time, Leon?"

Irritated, Leon kicked his shoes off and walked into the room towards the kitchen.

"Guess the present we got for them was perfect, nee-chan!" Demyx finally let go of his sister.

"Yeah, I guess."

X X X X X

"Cloud-chan!"

A blonde-haired teen turned his head to where the voice called out his name. His eyes fell upon a lady who was cheerfully waving her arm back and forth, a large smile on her face. The male could not help but feel warm inside; after-all, Maiko was like a mother to him.

"Maiko-chan," the blonde walked up to her and bowed slightly. "Thank you for picking me up."

"Cloud-chan, any time!" she hugged him tightly. "It's good to have you home!"

"Thank you Maiko-chan," he hugged he back.

"Now, now, call me 'kaa-san, won't you?"

A small smile spread across his lips. "Of course, mother," he spoke in fluent English.

"I'd say that your studies are coming along well, then?" she replied in English as well.

Cloud nodded, and the two chit-chatted about life as they walked to baggage claim. They spoke in English, for the sake of Cloud studying and for Maiko to just have fun.

X X X X X

Back at the house, every-one was frantically at work; it was just a few minutes before five o'clock, and nearly nothing was ready for Cloud's arrival.

Sora was currently hiding everyone's shoes in the closet, the girls were cooking up appetizers, Wakka and Leon were parking their cars in Riku's driveway, and the others were blowing up balloons and setting up the gifts.

"Sora!"

The brunette looked up from his squatted position by the closet. "Yeah?"

"I just got a text message from your mom; she's three minutes away!"

Rikku held her cell phone in front of the boys face. "See, see?"

Wide-eyed, Sora picked up the rest of the shoes and ran around the house, screaming the news. "Hurry up, hurry up! They're coming, they're coming!" And with his luck, he tripped over his own feel, slamming into the floor with a loud thud, everyone running to the hall to see what Sora did now.

X X X X X

"Riku, huh?" Cloud looked over from where he sat in the passenger seat to Maiko.

"Yes," Maiko stopped at a corner, looking both ways before turning.

"Sora's gay, then?"

Smiling, Maiko nodded. "And I fully support him. Roxas, too."

"Huh, twins that are both gay. That's sort-of interesting."

"I suppose," Maiko shrugged. "But if that's what makes them happy, then who am I to forbid them? After all, you can't stop yourself from loving someone, and when they love you back it only makes it many times more beautiful."

"Maybe, if my parents were more understanding about it—"

"That you love Leon?" the black-haired woman interrupted.

Blushing, Cloud bent his heads to try to hide under his bangs.

"It's obvious, Cloud-chan. But I know how your mother was, but it's okay to love him. So, please, Cloud-chan, do what makes you happy."

"I…don't know if I can," he mumbled. "My parents… I can't, not to Leon, I…"

"You're not attached to them anymore," Maiko momentarily glanced over at the blonde. "Think of me as your mother, and trust me when I say that it's okay, so please be happy."

"Thank you, Mai—'kaa-san."

Smiling, Maiko pulled into the driveway, putting the car in park. "Well, here we are Cloud." She honked the horn twice, before turning the engine off.

X X X X X

Hearing the two beeps from the car, everyone in the house rushed to their hiding spot. Everyone was nervous and filled with excitement; especially Leon.

The brunette was hiding in the kitchen with half of the group of friends, the other half someone hiding on the stairs across the hall. Several thoughts raced through his mind, as what to say to Cloud, and how to present his gift.

'I hope…that it'll be alright,' he thought to himself.

The lock to the door clicked open, and Maiko called out a hello to her two sons. Cloud was not to be heard; everyone knew he was as quiet as death itself.

"We're home!" Maiko closed the door and walked down the hall, allowing Cloud to go ahead of her. "Where are you two?" she asked, a smile growing on her lips.

The two groups in the kitchen and stairs looked at each other, all mouthing "one…two…three…" and as soon as 'three' was said, they all jumped out into the hallway.

"SURPRISE!"

Cloud stepped back by the shock of twelve people jumping out from what seemed to be no-where.

A few people popped balloons full of confetti, which gracefully fell to the floor on and around Cloud. Everyone greeted him as more confetti-filled balloons were popped, and the blonde just stood there.

"Happy twentieth birthday," Leon stepped forward. He smiled very lightly and took in the blonde's features; he had definitely lost some weight but was more toned at his arms and shoulders. His face was soft and glowed with a seemingly angelic grace to it.

"Thank you," the blonde stepped forward and hugged Leon. "It's been forever, Squall-chan," he whispered for only Leon to hear.

Blushing, the brunette shrugged him off.

"CLOUD-CHAN!" a spiky-haired boy ran into the blonde, tackling him to the floor.

"I missed you too, Sora," the blonde just hugged the boy that would not let go.

X X X X X

The entire group was sitting around outside, eating the delicious meal that Maiko spent hours cooking, with help from some of the girls and Roxas. She prepared Cloud's favorite dishes, which she knew from when the teen had moved in with them a few years back.

Cloud was happily sitting next to Leon, a plate filled with yaki-soba that was about to fall over. He was shoving mouthful after mouthful into his mouth, not even stopping for a breath of air.

Leon, on the other hand, had a plate with shrimp and carrot tempura next to beef negamaki, happily eating them slowly.

Everyone was happily talking and laughing, music playing from the iPod station that Sora had hooked up. The beautiful night added the perfect tough to the setting as well, reminding the group of the warm days of summer they so longed to be back in.

As Cloud reached for seconds, everyone wondering exactly _where_ all this food was going, a voice called out from the side of the house.

"Hey, guys, sorry we're late!" a red-haired girl waved as she appeared carrying two bags.

"Kairi," Cloud stopped eating and stood up, walking to the girl. He took the bags from her and hugged her gently.

"Hey, Cloud-chan!" she smiled warmly at the older, and much taller, male.

Riku angrily burrowed his eyebrows and looked over at Sora with a confused look.

"They're cousins," Sora said after swallowing his drink.

The older male stared wide-eyed at his boyfriend.

"Kairi said she was going to apologize to you—"

"_How_ are they related?"

Sora placed his plastic cup on the ground before answering. "Kairi really isn't that bad, you just have to get to know her."

"She's just possessive," Axel cut in, chewing on some beef.

"Yeah," Sora added.

"Especially with Sora," the red-haired male swallowed his food. "She's had a crush on him since the third grade, poor girl. She made herself as close to perfect as she could, but distanced herself from almost everyone else. Sora was her only friend and she fell for him."

"Kairi doesn't feel that way!" the brunette interjected. "We're just close friends."

"You're just too clueless to realize," Axel reached for another piece of meat.

"It's true, Sora-chan," Roxas joined the conversation.

Sora looked over at Kairi, who he saw as a very close friend of his. "But I love Riku," he mumbled.

"That's good," Riku snaked his arms around Sora's waist and pulled him into his lap. "Because I love you too, my dear Sora-kun."

"Uh, Sora? Riku?" a soft voice asked. The two called-boys looked up to see Kairi standing about a yard away, her head bent low. "Can I…talk to you in private…maybe?"

Riku glared at her and opened his mouth to snap something nasty to her, but Sora spoke before he could. "Of course!" the brunette stood up from his position in Riku's lap.

The three of them walked to the front of the house, Riku's index finger gently holding onto Sora's as the three of them walked in silence.

"I'm so sorry!" Kairi bowed as deep as her waist would allow her to. "I…I'm a heartless person who owes you the largest of apologies!"

Sora titled his head and his eyes grew with sadness. "Kai-chan?" he stepped away from his boyfriend and kneeled down on his knees to be face-to-face with the bent-over girl. At the same level as her, he realized that tears were heavily falling from her tightly eyes.

The brunette did not hesitate to pull the girl into a warm embrace, patting her head softly. "It's okay, Kai-chan, it's okay," he whispered.

"I'm such a bitch," she cried her tears out on Sora's shoulder. "I let my selfish feelings consume and what I did to you and Riku was horrible! Please, forgive me!"

"I don't think I rightfully can," Riku said in a cold voice.

The red-head moved her head up and looked deeply into Riku's now emotionless eyes with her reddened ones. She stood up and walked up to him, stumbling a bit, before standing in front of him. She grabbed his hand in hers and squeezed it gently.

"What are you…!?"

"What I did was horrible, I…I now realize this. And I was jealous, because it was set in my mind that I loved Sora, but when I stopped and thought about it, it wasn't love. Love is how you smile at him, Riku, how you bring him happiness. For me, it was a mere selfish feeling of wishing that I belonged somewhere."

'Belong somewhere,' Riku thought in his head. His eyes averted to Sora, who was now standing up and had tears in his eyes. 'She just needs…to belong.'

And without warning, Riku pulled the girl into a hug. "Okay, okay, I forgive you but…you do belong somewhere."

Surprised, Kairi stepped back. "What do you mean?"

Smiling, Riku grabbed her hand and lifted his head towards Sora. "You belong here with Sora and me, as friends."

"Do you mean…we'll start over new?" hope grew in her eyes.

Sora grabbed her hand and smiled warmly at her. "So we'll all be friends, now?"

Riku nodded, and Kairi collapsed to her knees on the floor, laughing.

"What's so funny?" the smile wore off Riku's face.

"I never thought," she breathed in, ceasing her laughter. "That people would care for me, and I'm just happy."

The two boys kneeled down next to the half-laughing, half-crying girl.

"Somewhere I belong," she smiled and looked up at Riku. "Thank you, Riku," she turned to Sora. "And thank you, Sora, for giving me hope. I'm sorry for everything—"

"Okay, we get it!" Riku playfully hit her over the head. "You're sorry—now let's go get cake before Cloud and Axel eat it all!"

The red-head laughed and stood up, the two boys grabbing her hand. They all smiled and walked back to the rest of the party, hand-in-hand.

'Somewhere I belong,' Riku thought over in his mind. 'This is where I belong; making new friends and being happy, with no regrets and living life the way _**I**_ want to. And this time I'm going to make my own rules and do what I want whenever I want.' He looked over at Sora, who was smiling brightly.

'And the only person who makes me feel this way is you, Sora,' Riku's smile grew wider. 'My love, my best friend; there's no-where else I'd rather be than here with you.'

X X X X X

It was well into the night, close to reaching one o'clock in the morning, and everyone was sitting in the living room eating cake that Maiko had made. A movie was playing, one of the presents that Tifa had bought Cloud; she knew he wanted the movie _The Illusionist_ and was excited that she was able to buy it for him.

It was closing towards the end, where the mystery of the magician and the girl he loved had a sweet re-union. Roxas was sitting in Axel's lap, tears swelled up in his eyes. Axel, who was not into sweet girly-movies, reached his fork around and began stealing bites of Roxas's cake.

Sora was cuddled up between Cloud and Riku, but had his head leaning on Riku's shoulder, tears swelled in his eyes just like his brother, except that a few escaped down his eye. Riku wiped away the few lonesome tears gently when he heard Sora sniffling.

Finally, the credits began rolling, and half of the room sighed in relief; all the girls were in hysterics, along with Roxas, Demyx, and Sora. The rest of the guys left the room to throw out the plates as the rest of the party wiped away their tears and talked about how cute the movie was.

"I'm so happy that it turned out that way!" Kairi rubbed away her tears as she smiled at Sora. "Wasn't it just the best?!"

"Yeah!" Sora smiled back. "Now I see why Cloud-chan wanted to see it so badly! But he's so tough and wouldn't cry; it's so cool!"

"I know!" Kairi giggled; she obviously had too much sugar, as did Sora. "And he's sooooo awesome, and the best cousin, you know!?"

"Yeah!" Sora giggled as well, beginning the laughing fit between the two of them.

"Are you sure your sister doesn't do drugs?" Yuffie whispered to Naminé.

Shaking her head, Naminé just smiled. "She just gets hyper really easily."

"Huh," Yuffie shrugged it off as her and Naminé laughed every so often at Sora and Kairi's obscure behavior.

X X X X X

"Sora-chan?"

The called-out brunette turned around to face the taller blond. "Yeah?"

"Come," he said, grabbing Sora by the wrist and dragging him to the stairs, only to be watched by a very jealous Riku.

"What's wrong, Cloud-chan?" Sora's said with concern in his voice as Cloud walked them up to the top of the stairs.

"I need your help," Cloud sat down and patted the empty space next to him, where Sora quickly sat.

"Of course!" he moved his hand to Cloud's and held it gently, and old habit the two formed from being as close as brothers. The blonde could only smile at this; even if they were not related by blood, Cloud treasured him as a little brother in his heart.

"It's Leon, you know…I like him, and well, I want to…" he mumbled the rest.

"What? I couldn't hear the last thing you said," the brunette leaned in closer to him.

Blushing slightly, Cloud looked Sora right in his eyes. "I want to tell Leon my feelings tonight," he whispered in so quiet that Sora could _just_ hear him.

"OHMYGOSH!" Sora squealed with joy.

"Quiet!" the blonde covered Sora's mouth before he could scream anything else. "I…I don't know how," he blushed. "Can you help me?"

With a determined look in his eyes, Sora furiously shook his head up and down. "Ayeneefii fooh Kwow-chwawn!"

"Uh…if I take my hand off do you promise to only whisperer?"

Sora nodded his head again.

"Okay," Cloud removed his hand.

"I'll help you," Sora repeated himself. "I have the best idea too!" he flashed a peace sign before Cloud tackled him to the ground and hugged him, Sora laughing and Cloud smiling a small smile.

"Thank you, Sora-chan," Cloud kissed his friend on the cheek, hugging the small-framed body to his.

"What are you doing to Sora-kun?"

Sora sat up at the sound of the voice, and smiled widely at his boyfriend. "Ri-kun! Come cuddle!"

Riku, who stood with his arms loosely folded, glared at the two on the floor. "Cuddle?" It seemed as if a vein were popping out of his head.

"A kiss of friendship," Cloud ruffled the brunette's hair.

Still suspicious, Riku continued to glare at the blonde.

"Sweetie, you don't think I would cheat on you," tears grew in Sora's eyes. "Right?" concern grew in his eyes as he fought back tears.

Cloud, realizing the two needed this moment to be a couple, got up and left. "Riku, don't worry; I'm claiming the one I love as mine tonight, and it is not Sora."

Feeling re-assured, Riku took Cloud's seat and leaned his head on Sora's shoulders. "Sora-kun," he whispered.

"Yes my love?" Sora hugged Riku and pulled the two of them onto the ground, Riku half-laying on top of him.

"You know I trust you, right?" the older male placed two hands on either side of Sora's shoulders and let his hair tickle Sora's neck.

"Did you know you make my mind and body go crazy?" Sora lifted his head to close the small distance between his and Riku's lips.

X X X X X

"Present time!" Sora carried several bags and presents in his arms, with Riku, Kairi, and Axel following behind him with more presents carried in their arms. Everyone gathered around, sitting in a circle with the large pile of gifts lying in the center.

Roxas held a bowl with folded-up pieces of paper in front of Cloud. "Close your eyes and pick!"

Riku looked over at Sora with a confused look.

"It's a Murakimi tradition so that people don't fight over whose gift to open first, next, or last," Sora whispered, and Riku nodded in response.

"The first present is…" Cloud un-folded the envelope he had taken from the bowl. "lulu," he read out-loud.

Lulu reached over to the pile and picked out her gift, handing it to Cloud. "I'm sure you'll use this well," she smiled at her friend.

The blonde nodded in reply, carefully taking the box and gently began to un-wrap it. Finished with the paper, he slid the cover of the box open, his mouth and eyes opening when he saw what was inside.

"I assume you like it?" Lulu laughed lightly.

"Yes," Cloud pulled the leather jacket out of the box. "Thank you!"

X X X X X

Twenty minutes later, Cloud was on his seventh present. So far he received a blue digital camera and photo-album from Maiko, black and grey checkered Vans from Axel, a black, leather watch from his cousin Kairi, his favorite cologne from Tifa, and front-row-seat tickets from Wakka to the Blitz ball championship.

It was now time for Riku's gift, which Cloud held the dark-blue envelope in his hand. Riku's eyes were intently staring at the envelope as Cloud ripped the flap open.

Sora tapped on Riku's shoulder. "What is it?" he whispered.

"F…Five…"

The whole room stared confused at the stuttering birthday boy.

"Five…hundred…," he looked up at Riku. "I can't accept this…"

Rikku leaned over Cloud's shoulders. "FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS!?!?"

The whole room lashed their heads towards Riku.

"Riku, I…I can't take this—"

"My old man's loaded," the younger male said bluntly. "So use it on something you want. It's like a Visa debit card, and you can add money on-to it if you please."

The entire room remained quiet, still in shock from the present. Riku, who hated being the center of attention, tried his best to focus the attention on something else.

"So, whose present is next, Cloud?" Riku grabbed the bowl from Roxas's hand and passed it to the still-in-shock blonde.

Hesitating at first, Cloud looked up at the nervous Riku. "Thank you so much."

"Yeah, uh, next present," Riku placed the bowl on Cloud's lap.

Cloud reached his hand into the bowl and took out one of the folded-up papers. Everyone in the room fixed their attention on Cloud, now.

"Tidus," Cloud looked up at the boy whose name he had read out-loud.

Tidus glared at Riku as he tossed his present to Cloud. "Fuck you, Riku," he pouted. "All your damn money; now my present's going to suck."

"Wow!" Cloud whispered in an excited voice as he held a blitz ball in his hands. "You got my favorite player to sign it, Tidus?"

"It…was no big deal," Tidus now had everyone's attention on him. And to be quite honest, he did not mind it one little bit.

Wakka could not help but smile to himself. After all, he knew how far Tidus went to get Cloud the signature.

X X X X X

"Thank you, Yuna!" cloud hugged the hand-sewn Moogle plushie she had made for him.

Sora reached for Leon's hand and shoved a piece of paper in-between his fingers. Leon looked at him with a confused look, but the younger male slowly mouthed 'read it'. Doing so, Leon unfolded the paper and read the note.

_Tell Cloud that you left his gift at your apartment.  
Ask him to come with you and take him there._

A small blush grew on Leon's cheeks as he read the last part of the note.

_And be sure to take the __**special**__ gifts from Rikku & Demyx._

"The best has been saved for last!" Demyx and Rikku jumped up onto their feet, their right arms stretched out towards Cloud.

"Your card, Cloud-chan!" Demyx handed the older male the envelope.

"And your super-duper fun gifts!" Rikku sat the bag in-front of Cloud.

The two siblings stood proudly, their hands resting on their hips and their heads held high, as if they were super-heroes who had just saved the day.

"…Thank you?" Cloud cautiously opened the envelope. The card was a home-made one, with a simple design on the front-page. "Have fun on your birthday," Cloud read from the front page, opening it and then reading the inside. "And indulge in what you want."

Demyx and Rikku giggled as they sat down. "So what's in the bag, Cloud?" Demyx said in a jocular voice.

Leon breathed in deeply, scared of what Demyx and Rikku had in the bag; the two were well-known for their mischievous plots.

"What the…" Cloud pulled out a pair of hand-cuffs that had a shiny red bow neatly tied on the center of it.

"There's more!" Demyx sang out.

Carefully, Cloud reached his hand in the bag, and took out the other presents. Leon let his long bangs hide his blushing face.

"Wow," Cloud stared at all the items he retrieved from the bag.

"Nice toys, 'mon!" Wakka laughed. "Not only did you get hand-cuffs, but you got a hot-pink, extra-large vibrator, five bottles of body chocolate, and self-warming lubricant!"

Everyone in the room boomed out in laughter, with the exception of Cloud and Leon.

"Now," Sora whispered to Leon. "Go ask Cloud, there will be a bag with the 'special items' at the door."

The brunette stood up, his three belts clinking against one-another. "Cloud?"

"Hmm?" the blonde looked up at Leon.

Leon hid his hands in his semi-tight, leather pants. He touched the tiny, but extremely precious, gift that was at the bottom of his pocket. "I left your gift at home, sorry."

"You didn't have to get me anything—"

"It wasn't much, but I really want to show you. Would you mind coming back to my house with me for a few minutes?"

"Right now?"

Leon nodded. "It'll be…" he paused for a second to find the right words. "Worth it," he finished.

Cloud stood up from where he sat on the floor. "Then let's go."

X X X X X

**( WARNING! ANY FURTHER CONTENT IN BOLD, such as this, WILL BE ****ENGLISH****! This story is meant to have the characters speaking Japanese, but since I'm writing in English, it should be assumed that the characters are doing so. But in the rest of this chapter, ANY bold will be the characters speaking in English. )**

The moon hung high in the night sky, with the occasional cloud lazily rolling on by. Leon and Cloud were half-way to Leon's apartment, and neither of them had spoken a word the entire ride.

They came to a red light, and Leon slowed down to a stop. Really uncomfortable and hating the awkward atmosphere, he decided to break the silence.

"So," he began, turning his head to face Cloud. "Did you declare your major?"

"Yeah," Cloud avoided the brunette's eyes. "I'm going for an English major. I want to become a novelist, but before that I'll teach English on the side for fun."

"You really like English," the light turned green and Leon pressed down on the gas pedal.

"It's always interested me."

Leon smiled as he turned onto his street. "Are you fluent yet?"

"I guess," Cloud glanced at the younger male momentarily.

"We're here," Leon made a sharp turn into the small apartment complex, finding his parking spot.

"We're going on the roof," Leon opened the door and stepped in. With his other hand he tightly held onto the small messenger bag that Sora packed all the "goodies" into.

"The roof?" Cloud closed the door behind him, the two walking up to the apartment on the last floor in silence.

"Yeah, sorry about the lights. Our electricity was cut off last week."

The blonde looked sadly at Leon and his small four-room apartment, which consisted of the small bathroom, his father's bedroom, Leon's room, which was the size of a medium-sized closet, and the main room which consisted of the kitchen, television, and eating area.

"I'm just going to grab a blanket," Leon took the few steps to his room, Cloud following right behind him.

Cloud reached his hand out and tucked it underneath one of Leon's belts. **"You've lost weight again,"** he wrapped his hands gently around the younger male's slim waist.

"C…Cloud?"

"**You've always been slim, and it always made me want you more, but,"** his eyes looked around the pathetic excuse for a room. There was a small couch that Leon used as a bed, a small night-stand that Leon kept some of his clothes in, but he kept most of them in the boxes he kept by the door. **"This way of life is slowly killing you, isn't it?"**

'Cloud,' Leon thought. 'You…_want_ me?'

"**My apologies, I should keep my feelings locked away,"** Cloud let go of the brunette, taking a step back. **"I can't scare you away…"**

"Cloud?" Leon turned around, searching for his face with his hand. His fingers lightly grazed against Cloud's soft cheek.

Startled, Cloud did not move; he let Leon cup his cheek and gently rub his thumb up and down.

"**Did I forget to tell you that I've been studying English?"**

"**What?"** Cloud stepped back. **"That's a joke, right?"**

"**Then why can I answer you in English?"**

"**Please, ignore what you heard,"** Cloud's face grew with a blush. Leon, his precious Leon, now knew that he liked him.

"**How can I?"** Leon slightly firmed his grip on Cloud's soft cheek, moving his face directly to Cloud's. He roughly pushed his lips onto the older, and taller, male's tender ones.

Leon forcibly pushed his tongue through Cloud's lips and traced it over Cloud's slightly held-back tongue. He moaned as Cloud pushed his tongue against his, kissing him back. They stood there with their tongues filling in the blank spaces that words could not fill.

In that moment, their hearts racing, their tongues dancing, and their hands wandering, it was clear in both of their minds that this was where they belonged.

X X X X X

**(REMEMBER! BOLD IS ENGLISH!!!)**

"Leon," Cloud moaned in pleasure as the brunette forcefully shoved him onto the couch. "Aggressive, are we?"

Leon just positioned himself on-top of the blonde, his head bent down and his soft hair gracefully brushing against Cloud's neck. "If you don't like it, then push me away."

"No," Cloud tugged on Leon's hair, pulling the older male's lips on-top of his, nibbling at Leon's lower lip. "In truth, I love it."

A playful smile grew on Leon's flushed lips. **"Then let's play a bit more," **he reached to his back pocket, as Cloud stared at him in confusion.

Leon held something in his left hand, as he pulled Cloud's arms above his head. Cloud heard a clicking and felt a metal ring clasped around his wrists.

"Leon did you just—"

The brunette did not let Cloud finish his words; he just roughly kissed the blonde. His hands roamed all over Cloud's warm body, caressing his muscular but soft arms, brushing against his legs and grabbing his bottom.

"Leon, your dad—" Cloud gasped between moans and kissing Leon.

"Not home," Leon abruptly answered.

Cloud moaned as Leon rubbed against the inside of his thigh. In return, Leon moved his hand up and slowly rubbed his hand over Cloud's already hardened member.

"Ahh…!"

"**Just like that,"** Leon whispered into Cloud's ear. **"Moan for me, just like that."**

The brunette grinned as he unbuttoned the blonde's tight jeans, taking his time with the zipper as he nibbled anywhere and everywhere he could on Cloud's neck.

"**Don't tor…torture…me—aaah!"**

Already by the end of Cloud's sentence, his pants were off and his boxers were pulled down to his knees. Leon's hand was gently wrapped around his aching member, which begged for a quick release.

In less than a minute later, Leon had masterfully taken off all his clothes, and belts, as well as Cloud's tight sweatshirt and T-shirt.

"What are you do—Leon!"

Leon had his index and middle finger covered in the lubricant he took out from the bag. His two fingers scissored in Cloud's tight hole, which only excited the brunette for release even more.

"**Mine,"** Leon whispered, placing a soft kiss on Cloud's erect member.

Leon's gray-blue eyes looked deeply into Cloud's brighter blue ones, searching through Cloud's thoughts of where it was alright for him to proceed or not.

"**Do it,"** Cloud begged, his lustful blue eyes staring deeply back into Leon's. **"Make me yours, Squall-kun."**

The brunette positioned himself over Cloud, his hands shaking ever so slightly. Noticing this, Cloud curled his fingers in-between Leon's and squeezed them gently, as if telling Leon everything he had to.

Hands still shaking, Leon kept his eyes on Cloud's. He slowly pushed himself into Cloud, a large wave of pleasure coursing through his body from the incredible tightness.

"Oooh—!" Leon gasped in pleasure.

Cloud, on the other-hand, had his eyes tightly shut; he was stuck in a feeling of such a great, indescribable pleasure, yet having Leon inside him the first time was not as pain-free as he had always expected it to be.

"**Does it hurt, Cloud-kun?"** Leon whispered as he pushed himself as deep as he could.

"**Don't be a baby, fuck me already, Leon,"** Cloud's voice was slightly breaking-up. **"Or I'll rape you so bad, you'll wish you were born with-out an ass."**

Snickering to himself, Leon did as Cloud asked him to. He began to thrust himself in-and-out of Cloud, going slow at first so Cloud could adjust to his size (which Leon clearly could brag about in Cloud's mind.)

"Aaah!" Cloud's hands curled under Leon's arms as he dug his fingernails into his shoulders.

"**Does it hurt?"** Leon stopped.

"**No…faster!"** the blonde arched his back, moaning with pleasure as Leon thrusted faster.

"I'm…about to cum," Leon mumbled.

"So…soon?"

The brunette pushed his hips and his member as deep into Cloud as he could, holding it there as he released. He collapsed on-top of his lover, heaving heavy sighs.

"**Your turn,"** Leon whispered almost incoherently. He sat himself up on his arms and pushed himself so that his head was just hovering over Cloud's member.

"L-Leon!"

The brunette did not hesitate; he roughly licked at the base of it, licking up to the tip where he took it all into his mouth.

"Ah…!" Cloud could not moan or gasp as Leon, gently, scraped his teeth against the now hardened flesh.

Cloud could no move from the sudden rush of pleasure he got. He was mixed between wanting to thrust his hips in sync with Leon, or sitting still and enjoying the immensely pleasurable sensation that his boyfriend was giving him.

But before he could even think, he had released into Leon's mouth—before he could warn Leon, who did not seem to mind, as he licked it all off.

Slowly, Leon licked his tongue around the base and slowly up to the tip, to pull himself up to where Cloud's head rested.

"Leon…kun…" Cloud whispered between heavy gasps.

"**Mine,"** Leon placed a gentle kiss on Cloud's slightly quivering lips.

"**Yours,"** Cloud closed his eyes and let his head fall backwards as his heavy eyelids closed over his tired eyes.

"**Forever…"** Leon whispered in response, resting his head on Cloud's chest, his eyes closing soon after to drift off into the most peaceful night of sleep he ever had in the pitiful excuse of an apartment.

X X X X X

Alright, chapter twelve done! Again, I apologize from the bottom of my heart for this terribly long delay. I made this chapter about twenty-four and a half pages, and hopefully it was good!

Summer vacation is almost here, which means more chapters more soon! I'm also going to try to get this next chapter out within two weeks, so…expect it then. Please review, and sorry again!

THANK YOU SO MUCH AND SORRY FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

—Allie


	13. Chapter 13

I AM SO SO SORRY FOR THIS PITIFUL EXCUSE OF AN UPDATE! X-x

I'm not trying to be emo but my life flipped upside down. BUT. I finally found time to work on this, actually to finish it because every few days I would add a few sentences… Dx

BUT, chapter thirteen is here and I sincerely apologize for my update. If it were possible, I would bake you all cookies and buy you yaoi manga and send it as an apology but… I don't have any money T-T

So…the best apology I could do was… adding… SORA x RIKU moment!!!!!!!!! D: it's not long but… it's the only thing I can do. SORRY! T-T

Moving on….

**THANK YOU BUNCHES AND BUNCHES AND BUNCHES TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED!!!!!!!!**

**Sephirorth-For-President**

**StupefiedNarutard **(here's your "action" XD)

**YaoiFreak**

Tinnerz

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**chocolate.daiquiri**

**Sora-Ritsuka-Leader-Sama**

**Colonel Roxas-chan**

**AznAnimeChick**

**Axel's.Little.Sister.Miku.**

**Undying lover**

**Tiger guy **(no, sorry, it's not her. I just used any name I could think of and Sakura is a popular name. Sorry if I got your hopes up)

**Orchedork10**

**BeautifuLxContradictioN **( GOOD CATCH! You kind-of predicted this chapter's beginning haha ;D major props to you!)

**phephe-deathy **(thank you so much for your kind words! Xhugs!X you're awesome and I wish the same for you!)

**sanseui-kitty**

And thank you to my reviewers for being so honest and giving me hints. I really appreciate your criticism—so PLEASE keep criticizing! Good or bad I don't care—as long as it's helpful and not… deathly mean D: … otherwise I might ignore it and take out some yaoi… KIDDING!... (sorry, rough day, trying to lighten up a bit :P)

**WARNING**** (please read): ** This is a VERY violent chapter (and sorry if this spoils anything). I almost cried writing this, and my best friend was in tears and panic. So, if you're emotional… grab some tissues, maybe a cookie or some chocolate and prepare yourself for an emotional chapter that will (hopefully!) leave you on the edge of your seats.

**Fake A Smile**

Chapter Thirteen

X X X X X

Blue eyes held a gentle gaze over the round-shaped metal object around his ring finger. His hand, which was so lovingly held in his lover's held a promise which was deeper than any words could say or actions could display. It was a simple ring, glistening ever so slightly from the only source of light in the horribly tiny room. The early rising sun was carefully peaking over the horizon, waking up the world with its soft shades of pinks and oranges dancing on the bottom edge of the sky.

The young male laying on-top of the blue-eyed male stirred slightly in his unusual deep sleep. Their bodies naked, Leon had collapsed after their third go-around, his sweaty figure resting against Cloud's. His head was comfortable against the older male's heavy-breathing torso; it was, indeed, a beautiful evening they had shared.

_( Flashback )_

"_Cloud," the younger male whispered in a tired, but loving, voice._

"_Leon," the blonde responded._

"_Your eyes," he sat up, pushing himself up with his tired arms. "Close them." The blonde did as he was told, curious as to what would happen next. After all, he __was__ tired and slightly sore. Fingers shaking, Leon reached over for his jeans that were previously tossed on the floor earlier that evening, pulling the small, silver object out o the depths of his pocket. Leon gently pulled Cloud's right hand from his side, carefully sliding the ring onto his ring finger._

_Cloud gasped, opening his eyes. "L…Leon!" a blush covered his regularly pale face._

"_I promise to love and protect you for as long as my living days are," he pulled is lover's hand to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on the ring. "And I promise to fill your days with love and joy as you've done with mine." Leon bent down and kissed Cloud's lips with a hungry passion. Not going further, Leon smiled before once again laying his head on his lover's shoulder, letting sleep consume him…_

_( End of flashback )_

Leon stirred more in his sleep, mumbling incoherently. Cloud, who knew Leon frequently talked in his sleep, simply ran his fingers through Leon's soft locks of hair.

Suddenly, the sound of keys being inserted into a lock startled the two lovers; Leon jumped up, now awake, from the sound that put him on high alert.

"Clothes," Leon whispered, jumping off the couch, throwing Cloud his clothes, and then gathering his own. The blonde had gotten his boxers and shirt on, when the front door was opened. Then, the voice that Leon dreaded ever so much, spoke out.

"Bastard, what the fuck's wrong wit-ya?!" he slurred out. Leon frantically looked at Cloud, his heart stopping its beating. The drunken man took the few steps to Leon's closet of a bedroom, leaning his body against the door frame.

"The fuck!?" the man screamed, his voice booming with anger. "You fucking fag!!" he took the step between his son and him, his hand tightly strangled around the boy's thin neck. Leon gasped for air, groaning in pain.

"Worthless shit-fucker!!" In extreme rage, the man threw Leon's head against the wall with incredible force.

"Leon!" Cloud gasped, his eyes wide-open in utter shock at the violence that happened so quickly before him. Leon, his poor Leon, had his forehead so severely hit into the wall that it broke a hole into it.

"I ain't done wit-ya yet, Leon!" the room stunk from the heavy stench of alcohol that Leon's father reeked of. He pulled his son by his hair from where his head was lodged into the wall. Cloud sat, staring in shock, as Leon's father showed the blonde his lover's cut-open forehead.

"It's your fault," the drunk slurred, his frigid eyes burning holes into Cloud's frightened blue ones. "It's all your fault you _fag_!"

At this, Cloud poured out in tears. His head hurt—he clutched his hands over his ears, screaming as loud as his voice would allow him to.

"Worthless," Leon's father continued, screaming over the young males shaking voice. "Unwanted, pitiful, useless, bastard son." He slammed Leon's body onto the floor, stomping his foot onto the brunette's neck. Leon held in screams of pain, knowing that if he showed fear or pain would only entice his father's dismal abuse. Even though pain was cutting at him from his father's violence, the heart-breaking screams from Cloud tore his heart. He had to do something, before Cloud's horrific memories returned. His eyes were losing focus, and blood was pouring from the gash and cuts on his face. Suddenly, he saw a small bulge in the pocket of Cloud's pants lying on the floor.

"You're a monster, you worthless shit."

Leon grabbed for the pants as quickly and steadily as he could. He was very lucky that his father continuing his verbal assault on his lover to such an extent that he did not see Leon's gallant and daring move.

X X X X X

It was just about seven in the morning when the loud ringing of the phone awoke Maiko from her sleep. She sat up in her bed and hurriedly grabbed the home telephone that rested on the night stand next to her.

"Hello?" she asked the caller in a worried voice. She was answered painful screaming on the other line. "Who is this?" her voice shook with fear.

"You'll enjoy this, you fucking waste of life!"

Maiko gasped—was this a prank? What was going on?

"I'll kill my bastard son while you watch and scream through every moment of it!"

"No! Leon!"

"Cloud!?" Maiko screamed out, recognizing the voice. The next thing she heard was a loud thud, and the same screaming that continued, somehow louder, after the bone-chilling crack that followed.

"Bastard son, running my life!"

Maiko held back her scream, and instead reached for her cell-phone, dialing 911.

"Mommy?" a voice sleepily called from the door, opening it slowly to peek through. "Everything o-kay?" Sora looked in with worried blue eyes.

"911 how may I help you?" the lady on the other line of the cell-phone spoke.

"I have two boys that will be killed, one adopted into my family. Please, stop the man!"

Sora stared wide-eyed as his mom gave the operator Leon's home address and put the home telephone on speaker for the operator to hear. The disturbing screams and noises that Sora heart immediately brought tears to his eyes and made knees tremble with fear.

Maiko hung up both phones, rushing to her son, who collapsed into her arms. She held him against her, as he screamed out in anguish. Her soft voice whispered gently, telling her son to be strong for Leon and Cloud's sake.

X X X X X

"Fucker!"

Leon was kicked hard on his side, but he had lost consciousness minutes before. Pleased with the bloody mess of a body, the man looked around the small living room, where he had dragged his son's beaten up body to damage him even more. "Your turn, blondie," he staggered to the kitchen, grabbing a knife from the drawer. 'I'll cut your pretty-boy face to pieces!"

Cloud looked at the man walking toward him, a knife in one hand and a malicious grin spread across his lips. A lust for violence lit up in his eyes as he roughly dragged the blonde out into the main room. Harshly throwing him onto the floor, the man kicked Leon to roll him onto his side. Bending down, he slashed the knife into the unconscious boy's lower abdomen.

"Leon!" Cloud screamed, his voice choking. The drunken man took a step towards the shaking blonde, picking him up by the back of his neck. Chuckling, the man held the bloody knife to his neck. The younger boy gasped, his scared eyes staring into the other male's fierce, hazed ones.

A bang was heard, and Cloud fell to the ground, the knife at this neck cutting him ever so slightly. Cloud heard a scream from the alcoholic, which quickly faded out, leaving nothing but silence in the room.

"Cl…Cloud," a raspy voice whispered, and the sound of metal hitting the floor was heard. The blonde looked at Leon, who collapsed to his knees, breathing in deeply.

"Leon!" the older male scrambled to his lover's side, holding him gently in his arms.

"I'm…sorry…" Leon's voice choked to speak; his body was tired and sore. His fingertips brushed gently across Cloud's soft, pale cheek. "You remember…don't you?"

Sadly, the blonde nodded his head.

"My mother, she—"

"You're not wor—worthless," Leon tugged on Cloud's hair as to pull his lips down to his own. "Cloud, you—you're p-perfect."

The next few moments were almost a blur to Cloud; Leon had lost consciousness and armed police-men kicked down the front door. Paramedics had carried Leon on a stretcher to the ambulance, Cloud following close behind him in the second car.

It was then that his memories go the best of him, and his world turned black. Everything went numb as he collapsed; the shock was just too much for him.

X X X X X

Sora sat on the front steps of his house, his hands slightly shaking. It had been five days since Cloud and Leon had been hospitalized. The extent of Leon's injuries put his body into shock. Upon his arrival to the hospital, the ambulance workers wheeled his beaten-up body into the emergency room.

Cloud suffered from the cuts, bruises, and other physical injuries, but he was mentally injured beyond repair. Doctors at the hospital had required him to visit one of the hospitals psychiatrist on Mondays and Fridays until he was mentally stable. The horrors of what happened before Sora and Roxas's mother adopted him had re-awakened in his memories.

A white BMW came onto the street, parking in front of the Murakimi house. Sora lifted his head and immediately noticed the male with messy locks of blonde hair. Cloud opened the door to the passenger side where he sat, thanking Kairi for driving him home. He hugged her, tightly and warmly, whispering what a good heart she had deeply hidden. She smiled and hugged him back, kissing him on his cheek, avoiding the fading bruise just above his chin.

Kairi waved at Sora before getting back in her car and driving away. The blonde took his time crossing the lawn to where Sora sat on the porch.

"I'm sorry I couldn't visit at the hospital," Sora solemnly apologized. "I can't handle—"

"Don't worry," Cloud plopped himself down next to Sora, laying his head in the younger male's lap. They rested there, the cool October breeze tugging on their skin. Cloud mumbled something, and Sora lowered his head to his friend's.

"What'd you say?"

"I was so scared," the older male began to tremble. Sora sat there, not sure of what to do as Cloud, for the first time, poured out all his tightly locked-away feelings and thoughts to Sora. "All my memories of my mother, and how she hated my father for leaving her for another man. The nights she would drink her alcohol and take her pills. Everything she did she tried to hide, only doint it after she tucked me in, with-out realizing I'd watch from the stairs. Then, then—" he shook harder, tears streaming down his now very wet cheeks. "The night I told her I fell in love with a boy. She lost her self-control and took out all her anger she had for my father and physically forced it on me." He went silent, sniffling quietly as Sora stroked his head.

"Waking up the next morning to a while room that reeked of medicine and bleach," Sora crunched up at this; he greatly despised and feared the hospital and doctors. "I didn't know if I could live after that. The crushed ribs that left me bed-ridden for two months. All the surgery and the plastic smell of the nurses. Sora… don't make me go back."

"Cloud, you don't have to go anywhere you don't want to," the brunette spoe softly, he clasped his hand with Cloud's. They sat in a momentary silence, Cloud thinking deeply and Sora stroking his thumb across Cloud's soft knuckles.

"Sora?" Cloud spoke in a weak, child-like voice.

"Mmhm?"

"I love you."

Sora smiled at this. "I love you too, Cloud-chan." The blonde sat up and hugged Sora, partially resting against him.

"Only you calm me down. Sora, don't let me become the monster my mother was."

Sora did not know how to respond. Instead he reassuringly rubbed Cloud's back.

X X X X X

"But mom, he _hates_ it there!"

"I'm sorry, Sora," Maiko spoke as she added the diced tofu into the boiling pot of Miso soup. "But there's nothing I can do."

"Can't you do _something_ Mommy!?" Sora begged as he set the table, neatly placing bowls and plates in order. "You're a therapist; can't you take him in as a patient?"

"His doctor has not accepted any of my calls. I'm sorry, honey, I can't do anything with-out the doctor approving it."

"That doesn't make sense, you're a doctor, why can't—"

"Give it up," a voice came from the entrance of the kitchen. "You can't do anything, and Maiko can't do anything. So why stress over something you can't control?"

Sora looked over at Axel, who leaned against the wall, a sad look on his face.

"That's life, Sora. Not everything is fair, you have to just take it as it is and make the best out of it," he walked up to the brunette. "You just have to take it one step at a time."

"Axel-chan," Sora sniffled and jumped into his friend's welcoming arms.

Maiko worriedly looked at her son and his friend, relieved that they had all these caring friends to help them through these tough times. She returned to her cooking, before it burnt, knowing that Axel would support Sora through his momentary break-down.

"There, there you big baby," Axel gently knocked his fist onto Sora's head.

The younger male sniffed away his last tears and looked up at his tall, red-haired friend.

"Things will get better, you'll see," Axel smiled warmly and rested his chin on Sora's forehead. "It'll take a while, but you'll understand. One day."

X X X X X

Cloud sat in the deep bath-tub, his head lowered into the water with his eyes and hair peeking out at the top. The water soothed him, calming his thoughts that were violently rushing a mile a minute. He thought of his mother and her bi-polar disease, alcohol and drug addiction, and the abuse he suffered the last night he would ever see her again.

The blonde lifted his head so that he could take in another breath of air before partially submerging again. The year he was under severe therapy having to be held back a year from school. It was not until that night at Leon's apartment that he remembered why he was taken away from his mother permanently and adopted by Maiko.

"Cloud, dinner's ready!" Roxas called from the hallway.

Pulling his face out of the water, Cloud glanced at the closed door. Slowly he emerged from the bath-tub, his quiet and momentary escape from reality. Reaching for a towel, he dried himself off from head to toe.

"Cloud?" Roxas called out once again.

"Yeah?"

There was a pause from Roxas's end.

"Just making sure you're alive," the younger male finally replied before the loud thuds of him walking down the stairs were heard.

Cloud almost wanted to laugh at this; making sure he was alive? He looked at the mirror at his pale-white body, the blue-cotton towel freely hanging around his hips. His body looked healthy, and most of his cuts and bruises had faded, with the exception of the scar that was still healing on his neck.

He then took a look into his blue eyes that stared back with extreme sadness.

"Just like Sora," he murmured. "Alive and well, surrounded with love but dead on the inside."

Quickly, he looked away and opened the door to change his clothes in the changing room in-front of the washing room. He sighed heavily and counted his blessings for everything and everyone he had in his life.

'I'll get through this,' he thought to himself. 'I did it once; I can damn well do it again.'

X X X X X

"Where's Riku?"

Sora looked up from where he sat. "At his house like he is every Sunday…"

"Again?" Maiko let her spoon rest in her bowl of miso soup.

"He does all his homework a week in advance, so he can work on the collage classes during the week," Sora explained in a sorrowful voice. "You know, the business and math ones that his parents make him take…"

Maiko nodded very slowly, before pushing her chair backwards and standing up. "He can't spend the whole afternoon and evening locked up—"

"He'll be back to-night mom, when he's done studying."

"At what time? Ten o'clock? Eleven o'clock? Or maybe midnight, his most typical time of coming over?"

Everyone at the table lowered their heads as they all worried for their friend who was locked away in his house. Sighing, Maiko walked over to the cabinets, grabbing a bento-box and a small circle-shaped Tup-o-Ware container.

"You all eat," she said, pouring miso soup into the plastic container of Tup-o-Ware. She filled the bento-box up with three kinds of sushi, shrimp and vegetable tempura, and seaweed salad. "I'll be back in ten minutes, don't wait." She packed up the food and walked into the hall to go over and bring Riku some dinner.

Sora, Roxas, Cloud, and Axel all stared as she walked out.

"Has she ever won an award?"

Sora and Roxas looked over at their red-haired friend.

"Seriously, she's like, Super Mom combined with Super Woman," he looked over at Roxas. "How does she do it?"

The twins looked at each other, shrugging slightly.

"Guess we'll never know," Cloud said before taking a bite of his sweet potato tempura.

X X X X X

Riku was tired, from staying up late the night before from a date with Sora, to wake up early from Axel clumsily falling down the stairs. He was on his last homework of the week; honors trigonometry.

His teacher was rather fond of homework in a peculiar way that Riku was not acquainted to. His teacher, a kind yet peculiar man, gave them three problems a night. The first was easy, the second was slightly challenging, and the last was nearly impossible. However, for Riku, they were all pretty simple for him.

Though he had to think it out and double check it, he had so far spent no more than half-an-hour on his math homework, where-as his classmates could spend up to four or five hours just on the first two problems. And, as a bonus, the last problem is extra credit if your work and answer are correct.

However, Riku was slowly working to-night. With everything that was going on, these past two weeks had been lazily taking their time. School seemed to never end, and the rest of the day flew by so fast he would blink and it was gone.

Fortunately, the weekends felt nice and long, spending his time with Sora every moment he could, except when he did all his homework on Sunday afternoons and well into the evenings.

As he was about to start the third and final problem of the last homework assignment for the week, the doorbell rang loudly. It echoed through the large, dark, empty house that Riku resided in. The young male got up from where he sat at his desk and walked to the front door from the study he was working in.

"Coming," he spoke loudly as the doorbell rang a second time. As he unlocked the front door with one hand, he twisted the knob with the other, opening the door to face the smiling woman standing in-front of him.

"Maiko-san?" Riku asked in a startled voice.

"May I come in, Riku-chan?"

The teen stepped back and held the door wide open as Maiko stepped in. She politely took off her shoes and looked around the dark entrance way.

Slightly blushing, Riku turned on the lights. "Sorry, I was in the back room…"

"You didn't eat," she held out the closed bento box and Tup-O-Ware towards the boy. "And what you're doing now is not healthy to you."

"I'm fine, you didn't have to go out of your way—"

"Of course I did. Now, you eat this and enjoy it. Make sure to eat all of it, and return the containers when you come home to-night—"

"Home?"

Maiko stopped and stared at him, realizing what she said. "Sorry, I meant…my house…"

"No," Riku smiled warmly. "I like the sound of that." He greatfully took the food from Maiko and bowed slightly. "Thank you, I'll be home soon."

"Good, that makes me glad."

She put on her shoes, turning toward the young male before leaving. "And, Riku?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't put yourself through this stress. I know your parents are strict but… you have to stand up to them. You're hurting not only yourself, but all your friends, and Sora especially…"

"I…I…"

"Just don't get carried away… I don't know your parents, and I won't judge them before I meet them, but I think you just need to hear that you are a wonderful person and you do so much for those people around you." She smiled warmly at him.

"Riku, you don't know how much we all love you."

With that said, Maiko left the house, leaving Riku to stand in his entranceway biting his lip to hold back the tears. He was a good person in Maiko's eyes, and his heart swelled with a feeling that he never felt before.

"Is this what it's like to feel a mother's love?" he whispered, glancing down at the containers in his hands. "Is this what it's like to be know you're a good son?"

X X X X X

"Goodnight Sora-chan," Cloud said from the door of Sora's room. The brunette jumped out of his bed and ran to the door, hugging Cloud tightly.

"Stay with me for a while?" Sora pouted his lips as he looked up at Cloud with puppy eyes. And Cloud, who had a weak heart for Sora, could not help but pat him on the head and say yes.

Sora returned to where he was sitting on his bed, playing Solitaire on his lap-top. "Come help me win!" he spoke in a childish voice.

Cloud sat down next to Sora, pointing out the cards to put on the other cards. After about two hours and thirty-something games later, Cloud decided it was time for bed when Sora almost fell asleep on the laptop.

"No, Cloud," Sora yawned, rubbing at his eyes. "Five more minutes…"

"Five minutes," he leaned his head on the brunette's .

"To-morrow," Sora's eyes grew with excitement. "Leon will be home, and Kaa-chan will adopt him, too."

"…" Cloud closed his eyes, as Sora talked to him.

"You're so strong, Cloud," Sora whispered. "I…I admire that of you and… you'll get through it. Don't worry, okay? Because… I'm here, and Roxas is here… and everyone else is here and… just… don't forget we want to help you, okay? Okay, Cloud-chan?"

Cloud stood up and ruffled Sora's hair. "Okay," he smiled ever so slightly. "Thanks, for always watching my back. I wish… I could have been your brother by blood."

"You are, you are!"

"Sora—"

"I told you years ago, we _are_ brothers. Got it?"

"Alright, now go to bed before you collapse and hit your head on something."

"Okaaaay," Sora whined. He got under the covers and Cloud said goodnight, turning off the light and gently closing the door.

Before going downstairs he said goodnight to Roxas and Axel , who were busy playing a video game, but Roxas found a second to pause it and say goodnight.

X X X X X

As Cloud walked down the stairs, he heard the front door being closed. When he came to the bottom, he saw Riku at the door-way, carefully taking off his shoes.

"You're late," Cloud spoke in a ticked-off voice, surprising Riku and almost making him fall over.

"Cloud—"

"He's already asleep," the blonde leaned against the wall with his shoulder. His blue eyes coldly leered into Riku's green-glass ones. "If you only intend to hurt him," Cloud continued, "Then leave him now. He's been through enough trouble and heartbreak already. Don't you dare take away the only chance at faking every smile and laughter he has."

With that said, Cloud walked into the living room where he temporarily slept on the couch, leaving Riku to think to himself in silence.

X X X X X

'Warm,' the brunette thought. 'So…warm…'

Opening his eyes, Sora saw Riku, who was straddled on-top of him.

"Ri—!"

The older male gently covered Sora's mouth with his lips, begging for entrance with his tongue. Sora, who turned into mush at the mere touch of Riku's God-like lips against his, happily parted his lips. The older male pushed his tongue into Sora's, licking over the top of his tongue, the side of his cheeks, his teeth; any-where and everywhere that he could get to.

"Sora," Riku whispered after the two finally separated, both breathing deeply. "I love you and… I'm sorry you were lonely." He spoke soft, with a sorrowful voice. "Forgive me for…being selfish…"

A smile spread across Sora's now rosy-pink lips as he gently entangled his fingers in Riku's soft locks of hair.

"But please… please…" he bent his eyes onto Sora's. "Be happy and…smile…"

The two were at it again, as their hands roamed the other's body. They knew to be quiet, with Axel and Roxas next door "playing video-games" (but they never knew with Axel's extreme perverse mind).

Riku traced his fingers over Sora's hip bones which stuck out from his skin. A soft moan escaped from Sora's throat, vibrating into Riku's mouth and, instantly, Riku stopped his kissing and stroked his fingers over his boyfriend's hip-bones once again. Sora, who continued to moan, gave Riku an extremely hard erection, who gasped at the beautiful sound, and erotic feeling from the vibrations of Sora's lips that made him go crazy.

"Take…me…," Sora whispered, biting the edge of Riku's lips, which made him go crazier.

"I… can't…"

"Then I'll take you," Sora said in a coy voice.

"W…what!?"

Sora bent his knees up and twisted himself over, shoving Riku's body underneath his own. He grinded his hips onto Riku's, their hardened members rubbing against each other as he did so.

"Don't…look…" Sora blushed at his cheeks, which grew deeper as Riku stared at him with a half-confused, half-lustful look. This only made Sora blush harder, and make Riku want to penetrate him as soon as possible.

"Look…somewhere else," Sora blushed.

Riku, who was begging for a release with quieted moans and groans, did as he said and lifted his head back on the pillow in which he rested on.

"Uhm…close your eyes…" Sora mumbled, barely audible, but heard, to Riku.

The older male did as he said, wondering and waiting for what Sora would be doing to him. He nearly moaned as loud as he could, biting his lips to hold it back, when Sora pulled his pants off as well as his boxers.

'He isn't…' Riku thought.

And then Sora licked the hardened member from the bottom to the top.

'Oh God, he is!' Riku thought as he forced himself not to moan out loud.

Carefully, Sora wrapped his slim fingers around the base of his shaft, holding it up as he lowered his head and licked at the tip. Riku squirmed in extreme pleasure underneath him, shaking in pure bliss as Sora put his member into his mouth.

Moving up and down, Sora lost himself in the beauty that he found himself in; he was making Riku happy in ways he could never had imagined. He was extremely gentle as to scraping his teeth against the delicate skin, except when he came to the top where he traced his teeth.

Riku, in pure bliss, was about to explode. "So…So…Sor…!!!"

The brunette took his mouth out and bent lower down, licking at the base and all around, his eyes averting to the tip as the pre-ejaculation cum seeped out.

"Riku," he whispered, his hands stroking at the side of the older male's hips and took off his shirt.

He put his mouth over his member again, and continued licking, nibbling, and sucking until Riku gasped out and shook. Sora took his mouth off of it as Riku cummed all over his bare stomach. Slowly, Sora licked the white, sticky substance off of Riku's stomach, making Riku's stomach muscles shake with pleasure.

"Yummy," he licked his lips slowly as his blue eyes lustfully looked into Riku's.

X X X X X

Riku stood in-front of the tall mirror that hung on the back of Sora's bedroom door. He loosened one of his multiple-studded belts and let it hang loose at his hips, only to tighten it and choose which one was better.

Sora hugged his boyfriend from behind, nuzzling his neck into the curves of his shoulder. "Leave it like this…" he put his hands over Riku's and adjusted the belt so that it was slightly loose, yet slightly tight—a perfect fit in his eyes. "Cute!" he lifted Riku's arm and ducked under it before wrapping it around his waist.

"Not as cute as you," Riku bent his head down and softly kissed Sora on the tip of his nose.

Blushing, Sora shook his head. "Naaah, you're lying."

"You're cute," Riku squeezed Sora's behind, getting a squeal out of him. "And sexy."

The brunette blushed deeper, a half-smile, half-pout on his lips.

"Sora!" Roxas called from the room next to him. "Have you seen my new shirt?"

Roxas opened the door and stood in his checkered white-and-black jeans, an upset look on his face. "I just bought it with Cloud-kun yesterday!"

"Which one?" Sora walked over to the twin as they rummaged through their rooms looking for the shirt.

"This one?" Axel walked in, a towel loosely wrapped around his waist.

Roxas looked up at his boyfriend, eying him up and down, before looking at the pink shirt.

"YES!" he grabbed it and hugged his boyfriend. "THANK YOUUUU!"

"Ah—Roxas!"

The towel that was barely staying on Axel's hips fell down, showing off his private parts to Sora and Riku. Sora's eyes seemed to popped out as Riku covered his boyfriend's eyes.

"Axel!"

"What?" Axel just stood there, grinning. "You know you're all jealous of my size and beauty!"

Riku gave him a slight glare as he turned away. "Just… put on your towel and stop being cocky."

"You're just jealous that I can pleasure Roxas in ways that make him moan and groan in ways you wish you could make Sora…"

Sora jumped out and held Riku back before he could go for Axel, who ran into Roxas's room with his towel.

X X X X X

The hospital reeked of medicine and illness with a heavy uneasiness dominating the air. Cloud was shaking with fear of his memories that had recently come back and haunted every moment that passed. He walked up the stairs to the third floor where Leon's room was.

It was a rather quiet hall for a hospital, with few nurses running back-and-forth from patient to patient. This part of the building was for recovering patients of traumas—even though Leon's was more mental and emotional.

As he approached the room, Cloud could hear Leon's voice as he talked to someone else. Quickly, he came into the room to see what was going on.

"I take full responsibility for my actions," Leon spoke to the officer standing next to him.

Cloud stood at the door, staring at Leon, a sad look in his eyes.

"You were aware that he could have killed you?"

Leon paused, his eyes avoiding the officer's.

"Your answer is very important… You are aware that you could have killed him."

"I… I…"

"Yes… or no."

"…Yes."

"So you had intent to _kill_?"

"No I wanted to protect…" he glanced over at Cloud from where he sat on the hospital bed. "I wanted to protect him…"

The officer looked at the blonde. "So you're Cloud?" The blonde nodded in response. "Good. Now we can have a full investigation. Are you two o-kay with that?"

Cloud and Leon looked at each-other before nodding.

"The hospital's psychiatrist is wants to meet both of you in her office upstairs. I'll take you there."

X X X X X

Cloud shifted uncomfortably, and Leon placed his hand on his knee.

"Don't worry," he smiled warmly at his lover. "Cloud-kun, we're alive and we'll get through this."

"Leon-chan…"

"Just tell the truth, and… everything. This is going to be tough, but… the truth is the truth and we can't deny it. No matter what, we'll be fine."

Cloud leaned his head on Leon's shoulder, reaching for Leon's hand and holding it tightly. They sat there and enjoyed their brief moment of peace to-gether before the psychiatrist came in.

"Hello, Cloud-san, Leon-san."

The two stood up and bowed slightly.

"Please! No need to be polite!" She smiled ever so warmly as she sat down at a chair in-front of her desk. Cloud and Leon did the same, sitting down on the couch across from her.

"I'll be recording this conversation—" she pressed the 'record' button on the player that was on the coffee table.

"Now… let's begin a series of questions, shall we?"

"Cloud…"

"Yes?"

She smiled. "You have quite a file," she grabbed the file that sat next to the player and opened it up on her lap. "And your memories have returned?"

He nodded slowly. "All of them… even the therapy with Maiko…"

"And Maiko is also your adoptive parent?"

"Yes, she took me in after I was hospitalized, right after mother was put in jail."

"And Leon was your friend at the time?"

Cloud was quiet before replying. "Yes…"

"And Cloud…" she looked over at the brunette. "Tell me, how long has your father been the way he is?"

Leon looked down at his knees, as if avoiding the question.

"Leon-chan… you have to talk about it," Cloud whispered.

Taking a deep breath in, Leon looked at the psychiatrist's concerned eyes. "Shortly after my mother died… twelve years ago... He never even touched alcohol until my mother died in the car accident. Then he started drinking and became depressed. Two months later he was fired from coming in every day with a hang-over and violent attitude. He completely gave up on working in an office and…" he breathed in deeply.

Cloud put his hand on Leon's, squeezing it gently and reassuringly.

"He started selling drugs, and alcohol and cigarettes to minors. He would drug me up so I would not remember, but once he realized how much alcohol he could buy with the money he spent drugging me, he abused me and blamed it on me. Everything became my fault, how we had to move four times until we got the latest apartment we have now. But each night got worse…and worse…"

Leon continued with his story, of all the horror and abuse his father did to him as a child and teenager. The psychiatrist wrote down some important notes and the tape-player recorded every breath, noise, and word Leon spoke.

It was something he had kept inside himself for a long, long time. And, finally, someone heard his story. His story of pain and despair, of a world where he lived each night in fear and misery, praying that one day someone would free him of his loneliness and ruin.

He wanted so badly for his story to be told… and now was his chance to rid of all his hidden feelings and story, along with repenting for all the bad.

"I never thought I could kill him…" Leon mumbled. "Is he …dead?"

The psychiatrist sat, quietly thinking to herself before replying. "He was pronounced dead for almost two minutes, but, the doctors saved him."

"I'm almost…glad," Leon smiled ever so slightly. "It's not his fault that… his morbid depression destroyed us but… I couldn't imagine killing the man I used to think of as a hero."

"It's o-kay to have those feelings. You're just confused in what you were thinking and, you defended yourself and saved Cloud's life. You have the possibility of being charged with attempted murder but… with everything you told us, I believe the court will clear you out." She reached over and turned off the tape. "You two are free to go. Only on one condition, though."

The two looked at her, scared of what was coming.

"Be happy and live life as full as you can," she stood up and bent down on her knees, putting her hands over theirs. "You only have this moment, in this day, in this year, in this life. You have to live for to-day and for the sake of your happiness. This will be a nightmare that will repeat in your mind forever but life will go on. Find your will to live, and don't forget to be happy."

She smiled warmly and squeezed their hands.

"You two are such special people; you know what tragedy is, but you have kind hearts. Don't lose that kindness—use it often and live well. I wish you only happiness and a healthy recovery."

X X X X X

"LEON!" Roxas and Sora simultaneously jumped out from Riku's car, as it was still pulling into the driveway, running up to Leon and Cloud who were sitting on the front steps waiting for their friends to return from school.

They tackled him with hugs, both crying and laughing to see their friend in one piece.

"Welcome back, welcome back!"

Roxas wiped away his tears and let go, but Sora held on tightly, tears still pouring down from his eyes. "I'm so glad you're here, Leon-kun!"

He finally let go and smiled at his older friend. "Welcome home…brother!" Sora sat down next to his new addition to his family, catching up with everything that happened in school.

Riku could not help but smile and join the crowd that sat around Leon, who was still covered in bandages on his cheek, arms, and stomach.

"So you'll be going back to school to-morrow!? This quick?"

Leon nodded at Roxas. "I have to catch up with my studies… it's already the middle of November. I've missed a month."

Sora's eyes opened wide. "That means… December's coming…!'

Riku smiled. "Your birthday is Christmas, right?"

Everyone jumped back and moved a few inches away. Obviously, Riku had forgotton what happens when Sora hears the word 'Christmas'…

"SANTAAAAAA!" Sora jumped up and down from where he sat. "SANTA IS COMING!!!!!!!! ON MY BIRTHDAY AAAAAAAAAH!" He tackled his twin, laughing childishly. "ROXAS ROXAS ROXASSSS! SANTA IS COMING AND WE'RE GETTING PRESENTS AND THEN WE GET MORE BECAUSE IT'S OUR BIRTHDAY! AND THEN THE PRESENTS THE PRESENTS AND SANTA AND THE REINDEER AND THE CARROTS! THE CARROTS!!!!!!!"

Riku stared, completely dazed and puzzled, at the little spaz attack that was happening with his boyfriend.

"AND GINGERBREAD! HAHAHAHA! THE GINGERBREAD AND THE CARROTS! THE HAPPINESS! AND THE PRESENTS!! HEEHEEHEE!!!!!!!!"

"Look what you did!" Axel slapped Riku on the knee. "He won' t stop for another two hours at this rate! Good job, stupid!"

Riku glared at Axel, before turned to Sora.

"Sora-chan—"

"YES, RIKU? MY BELOVED BEAUTIFUL RIKU! DO YOU LIKE THE CARROTS!? AND THE DECORATIONS!? AND THE STARS!? AND THE GINGERBREAD! AND AND AND—!"

"If you promise to be a good boy until Christmas and stay calm, I'll give you the best present you could have ever dreamt of."

Silence fell on Sora, as his jaw dropped all the way open. "If…I'm…a….good…boy?"

"Yep," Riku smiled warmly.

"R-Really?"

"Uh-huh."

Sora sat still, a huge grin across his face. "I'm getting a specialy-specialy gift from my boyfweeend! Heehee!"

"…" the whole group angrily stared at Riku and Sora continued on giggling and shaking with joy.

"Now he just looks like a coke addict," Cloud muttered as Sora shook more and more.

"Hell, he looks like he's having a seizure from a weed overdose!"

"…You can't overdose on weed," Riku said, returning the slap to Axel, thus starting a very in-depth conversation between the group.

"Heehee presenttttt!" Sora continued giggling and gleaming with a large smile spread across his face.

X X X X X

ALRIGHT! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!  
Thank you all for reading! And please review!

I promise to make this next update MUCH quicker—if not, I'll make TWO chapters at the same time, 'kay!? n.n

THANKS AGAIN AND MUCH LOVE!!!

Before I sign off, I'd like to leave a dedication to my friend:  
Sora … thank you for everything. My life fell apart and you guys picked up my pieces. You supported me and leant me your shoulder. You reminded me that I have to be strong and that shit happens. I'll never forget your kind words that brought me to (happy) tears. Thank you again. You will always be the light to my dark. I love you forever, my dear friend.


End file.
